Musings of an Empathetic Vampire
by Eclipse-Vamp
Summary: Semi-sequel/companion piece to Serenity. YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ THAT TO UNDERSTAND THIS! Basically Jasper's point of view of Twilight. Go behind the scenes through this empath's eyes and sympathize with Jasper at how hard it is to be a vampire.
1. Chapter 1: Thirst

**A/N: So here it is! The official semi-sequel/companion piece to Serenity! For those of you who haven't read Serenity, cool! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! This was beta-ed by Belle of the Boulevard and Thats-So-Alex. Thanks girls! Um, read on.**

**_Disclaimer: I'm too excited to think of something smart here to say so I'll just say the standard: I own nothing!_

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PART I

**Chapter One: Thirst**

I tried not to shudder as the feeling of their desire thrust itself upon me. All of my siblings' thirsts, no matter how little, were killing me more. It had been two weeks since I had last hunted, which was still very difficult for me. Adding the extra longing was just too much. The only thing that stood out beside my thirst was the worry coming from my wife next to me. She shouldn't worry. We should just give up and make me hunt weekly, never succeed in conquering my thirst. I was hopefully going to hunt tonight. _No. You can do this. Everyone else can. Why can't you? Alice needs you to be strong for her._ My jaw set. I was going to push through this pain for Alice, and only Alice. My hands balled into fists as a girl with sandy blonde hair walked over to the closest table to us, right in front of the heater. The heat blew her scent straight to our table. She smelled so _good_.

I could just walk right over to her, lean in with my lips brushing over her arteries at her neck, take a bite, and feel the wonderful warm liquid slide down my - Edward kicked my chair. I made eye contact, feeling his emotions of warning and caution. I suddenly realized my mistake. How could I picture such a thing? _No, you were once a ruthless monster that didn't care about planning ahead. Heck, you didn't even think about attacking - you just went for it. Go, go, go! Forget about your family for once and do something good for yourself!_

"Sorry," I muttered, ducking my head. The shame had won over and I was now filled to the brim with it. How could I have done that? I still didn't deserve living with this family, even after fifty years.

"You weren't going to do anything," Alice murmured, trying to soothe me. "I could see that."

Something about the way her emotions were balanced told me she was lying. I looked down, not wanting to make eye contact. I _was_ going to attack that girl and she and Edward knew it, but they weren't going to say it in fear of making me hate myself even more.

"It helps a little if you think of them as people," Alice suggested. I _already_ did think of them as people, but more like prey-people. "Her name is Whitney. She has a baby sister she adores. Her mother invited Esme to that garden party, remember?"

"I know who she is," I said curtly, not wanting any of my family's pity. I turned to look out the window, which clearly ended the conversation. Alice would make me hunt tonight no matter what, no matter how much I wanted to test myself. My wife sighed and left the table, throwing her uneaten lunch away. I continued trying to ignore my thirst, but not succeeding very well. Edward saved me a little bit with a distraction.

"Jessica Stanley is giving the new Swan girl all the dirty laundry on the Cullen clan," he said casually. Emmett smirked, saying something to Edward in his mind, I presume. "Rather unimaginative, actually. Just the barest hint of scandal. Not an ounce of horror. I'm a little disappointed."

Usually, there would be really odd rumors about us going around school. They were smart enough to tell that I was with Alice and Emmett with Rosalie (they usually frowned upon it like it was incest), but not really smart enough to figure out that we weren't human. Everyone believed our classic lies: Rosalie and I were twins; Esme was our aunt or something (I didn't really pay attention to the details after so many years of school - I had my gift to cover me if I really needed to tell a lie). The main thing was that we were all legally adopted by Carlisle and Esme, as well as big campers and hikers. I continued looking out the window, lost in all the rumors and lies that were spread about us.

Suddenly, frustration and confusion splashed over me and I looked up, wondering who on earth could be that agitated. It was Edward. He was staring at the table with the Swan girl intently, looking like he could hurt himself by staring that hard. My eyebrows pressed together, but before I could think about what could possibly be bothering him, Rosalie stood up.

"Shall we?" she asked quietly and we all stood up.

"So, is the new one afraid of us yet?" Emmett pressed Edward and he shrugged. Neither Emmett nor Edward was too interested to get more information and Rosalie and I departed for the class we shared.

* * *

The rest of the school day passed by with no really exciting event or decreasing of my thirst; it only got worse. The final bell rung and I was free to go home and be just as bored there. Alice had been worrying about me all day, I knew it. I walked to the car with Alice by my side. Emmett and Rosalie were already inside and I took the last vacant seat in the back of the car while Alice took shotgun. We waited for Edward.

"So, Jazz, when we get home, do you want a rematch?" Emmett asked, still fuming at how I had beaten him last night in our wrestling match. I swallowed my venom that had entered my mouth when Tyler Crowley passed our car before speaking.

"I'm not in the mood," I grumbled, resting my head against the headrest and clenching my hands into fists. I felt Alice's worry flare up again, but this time it wasn't exactly for me. Edward crossed the parking lot too quick for a human and entered the car, panting. He instantly started the car, and accelerated to seventy by the time we were on the main street. Everyone expressed their concern quickly before glancing at Alice. She shrugged. Edward had always been moody and angry a lot of his life, but even this episode of fleeing was absurd. Alice's eyes got that natural fogginess they had whenever she had a vision and suddenly her depression and shock filled the car.

"You're leaving?" she whispered and we all turned to look at Edward. He clenched his teeth.

"Am I?" he hissed. Alice looked back into the future and shock filled her.

"Oh," was all she could manage. My eyes flickered between Edward, glaring daggers at everything in sight, and Alice who was still looking into the future.

"Stop!" Edward groaned with agitation and thirst flowing off him.

"Sorry," Alice whispered. "I'll miss you. No matter how short a time you're gone."

Edward was leaving? He _really _was leaving? How could that be? What could possibly make him just leave on the fly like that?

"Drop us here," Alice said. "You should tell Carlisle yourself." The car squealed to a stop and we all got out. Emmett, Rose, and I all exchanged glances while Alice talked to Edward more.

"You will do the right thing," she murmured to him. "She's Charlie Swan's family. It would kill him, too."

"Yes," Edward agreed, feeling skeptical. We all ran into the trees before hearing Edward screech off.

"Edward's leaving?" Rosalie questioned as we ran.

"Yes," Alice sighed.

"Why?" Emmett inquired.

"Bella," Alice said simply as if it were obvious. All of our brows furrowed as we waited for Alice to explain. "Bella Swan, the new girl, is . . . very, _very _. . . appetizing to Edward. He believes he will kill her if he stays in Forks." I blinked, processing the information. That's why Edward had wanted to leave? Because of a human?

"How long is he going to be gone?" Emmett asked and Alice looked crushed.

"By the way he's deciding, forever," she said, her face heartbroken. Everyone nodded. Edward had left once before, as I had been told, and he did come back even though it seemed he never would. Hopefully this would be the same situation.

"We should inform Esme. Edward's probably telling Carlisle," I said and everyone nodded, running faster to the house.

* * *

Esme didn't take it very well, especially that Edward himself didn't even say goodbye in person to her. Actually, the whole family didn't take it well. Alice was devastated, Rosalie silent, and Emmett wasn't joking as much. Carlisle took Emmett's Jeep to work since Edward and he had traded cars when Edward said goodbye and we took Edward's car. There was quite the nostalgic air around when we all got inside with me driving. It was after school right now and I was slowly doing my homework in the bedroom Alice and I shared. Alice was busy looking through some magazine. Suddenly, her excitement flared up and I glanced to see what she was doing. My wife was grinning ear to ear, squealing.

"Edward's coming back!" she called out and Esme was at our room in a flash, with Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle right behind her.

"He is?" she questioned, starting to smile.

"Yes!" Alice said, clapping. "He'll be here around three in the morning!"

Even Rosalie smiled a bit at the news. Things would finally be back in order and the emotional climate would be less stressful.

Edward arrived at three, just as Alice had said, and everyone welcomed him back with open arms, even though he thought he didn't deserve it. He agreed to go back to school with us, after filling himself up with enough animal blood to make anyone sick. Everyone was focused on how he would do with Swan and I took advantage of their ignoring of me and cut loose a little bit by having fun with Emmett.

Edward was focused and Emmett and I took his distraction to bombard him with slushy snowballs, a lovely Confederate pastime. Even though I hadn't seen too much snow in Texas, my troops and I would take advantage of the slush and load it into as many things that could fire it at each other. What a blast that had been - it took away the pain and horror of the war going around us. He didn't fight back of even flinch when we nailed him as hard as we could and Emmett soon flung one at me. I dodged it before sending a bunch of slush-balls his way. The match was pretty even, and we had to call it a tie when the bell rang. Tension filled the air as we realized it was lunch.

Alice kept her attention in the future, and I put one hand under her elbow to gently guide her around the cafeteria. Emmett and Rosalie were up front, alert.

"It's going to be okay," she announced as we carefully walked toward our table.

"Of course it is," Edward grumbled, annoyance flowing off him. I tried my best not to feel strong.

"She's not here yet, but the way she's coming in . . . she won't be downwind if we sit in our regular spot," Alice said as we approached our table.

"_Of course_ we'll sit in our regular spot. Stop it, Alice. You're getting on my nerves. I'll be absolutely fine."

Alice blinked as I helped her into her seat, her eyes focusing on Edward's face.

"Hmm," she said. "I think you're right."

"_Of course _I am," Edward muttered and felt even more irked. A wave of sympathy crashed over him and I met his gaze and grinned.

_Annoying, isn't it?_ I questioned, holding back a laugh as Edward grimaced.

I really shouldn't be enjoying this one bit. It was very wrong and I wasn't that low to find joy in my brother's sorrow. I should just live up to the place I have taken now in the family. Edward has taken mine as "the weak one who could snap any moment" and I have now upgraded to "can handle his thirst as long as he hunts regularly". It felt pretty good to be that vampire.

"Anything new?" I asked.

"Nothing," Edward answered, the same irritation and confusion coming back to him. He had informed us when he returned that he couldn't hear the Swan girl's thoughts which was the oddest thing. Edward could hear anyone's and everyone's thoughts. The girl wasn't even different from anyone else. She only smelt better to Edward. "She . . . must not have said anything."

Everyone raised an eyebrow, curiosity drowning any other emotion.

"Maybe you're not as scary as you think you are," Emmett laughed. "I bet I could've frightened her better than _that_. Wonder why –"

"We've been over that," Edward snapped. "I don't _know_."

"She's coming in," Alice announced and you could practically see the tension in the air. "Try to look human."

"Human, you say?" Emmett asked mischievously, revealing a snowball and crushing it into an ice block.

He looked straight at me, but my face didn't even flicker with emotion. His emotions were too mischievous to actually try to attack me when he knew I knew he was looking at me. He wouldn't hit Rosalie unless he wanted to make a huge scene in the cafeteria, couldn't hit Edward because of his gift, so he had to go with Alice. I didn't even worry because I knew she was one step ahead of him. She acted like she didn't notice, trying to humor herself, and flicked the ice block away with her fingers casually when Emmett hurled it at her. The ice flew all the way across the cafeteria, too fast for humans to see, and shattered with a crack against the wall. People nearby the ice swirled around in their chairs to find the culprit, but didn't even glance at our table.

"Very human, Emmett," Rose said bitterly. "Why don't you punch through a wall while you're at it?"

"It would look more impressive if you did it, baby," Emmett said and I rolled my eyes.

Edward was distracted, though he looked like he was paying attention to Rosalie and Emmett's banter. Alice quickly elbowed Edward, warning him about something. Edward was still very tense.

"Ease up, Edward," Emmett said. "Honestly. So you kill one human. That's hardly the end of the world."

"You would know," Edward retorted, causing Emmett to laugh.

"You've got to learn to get over things. Like I do. Eternity is a long time to wallow in guilt."

Alice unobtrusively flicked a ball of ice she had saved in her hand in Emmett's face. He blinked, completely surprised as I smirked, before grinning evilly.

"You asked for it," he said menacingly, and he leaned over the table and shook his hair, causing melting snow to rain down upon Alice and Rosalie.

"Ew!" Rosalie complained as she and Alice leaned away from the shower. Alice started laughing and now it was my turn on the plan. She had informed me of it this morning for when the Swan girl came. I spread the laughter around with my gift and we started all laughing. Alice continued to laugh and I continued to spread it around while she held up her lunch tray for a shield. Soon, Isabella looked away and the laughter slowly died away. Lunch period went by fast and soon all the humans were shuffling off to their classes. Edward didn't move at all and we didn't either, wondering what he would do.

"I . . . _think_ it's okay," Alice said. "Your mind is set. I _think_ you'll make it through the hour." I sensed Alice's hesitation and decided it wouldn't be best for Edward to go. If he went, he'd either wind up killing the girl or miraculously make it through, downgrading me to "weakling" again.

"Why push it, Edward?" I said, seeming like a hypocrite. I had wanted to push terribly last week, but now I was telling Edward to just not test his limits. I wanted him to not be successful so I wouldn't be weak again. How selfish was I? "Go home. Take it slow."

"What's the big deal?" Emmett countered to my ultimate chagrin. "Either he will or he won't kill her. Might as well get it over with, either way."

"I don't want to move yet," Rosalie whined. "I don't want to start over. We're almost out of school, Emmett. _Finally._"

Edward debated this, unsure of which way to go.

"No, Rose, I think it really will be okay," Alice said. "It's . . . firming up. I'm ninety-three percent sure that nothing bad will happen if he goes to class." There went my hope.

I decided to put myself in Edward's footsteps for a second. If I ran into a human who I had to sit to right next to for an hour that smelled so much better than the rest of the humans . . . we'd have to move again. He shouldn't be doing this. Not at all.

"Go to class," Edward decided and I fought back a growl. He really shouldn't be doing this.

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**A/N: Updates will not be as fast as they were in Serenity. Probably a week to a week and a half of space will be in between them. Sorry, guys, I'm busy! So . . . did you like it? Please tell me in a review!**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Exposure

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out! I had a mix up with beta-ing and such so this took a while. lipstickletter thankfully offered to beta and she is one of the greater betas I've had in my year of writing fanfiction (not a lot, but I've went through at ton of beta's, haha). Thank you so much, darling! I owe my life to you, haha. Okay, this is a pretty long chapter, so that should make up for the wait, right?**

**_Disclaimer: Even though I have been writing my own novels, they will not be published under the name Stephenie Meyer. Only Emma Lou Van Dyke. Anything you recognize in here is not mine!_  
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Chapter Two: Exposure**

Edward had made it through the school day and everything seemed okay, except everyone was still very worried. We didn't know how long Edward could restrain his thirst and it wouldn't be too long, as I suspected, before he snapped again. I pulled the shirt over my head and briefly glanced at the mirror, running my fingers through my hair slightly. I didn't really care about personal appearances.

Alice was too quiet this morning, but whenever I asked her what the matter was, she just said that she didn't feel like talking. It was strange—Alice hadn't ever really hidden anything from me, but I guessed it wasn't important enough to tell me.

It was a quiet ride in the car because Emmett and Rosalie were having a moment of consuming sappy romance, Edward was deep in thought, and Alice was still upset over whatever was bothering her. If she really wanted to talk about it, she'd tell me, and I wouldn't press the subject too forcefully.

Edward pulled into the school parking lot and I got out, ready to escort Alice to her class, but she stayed right there in her seat. My brow furrowed, but I started making my way to my class. Something was definitely up. I continued walking, ignoring my thirst as much as I could, and studied the ground before I heard a scream that made my stomach drop. All the thrumming pulses of the weak humans seemed to fade in the distance as I felt all of Alice's shock, anger, and horror ram into me.

"NO!" Alice wailed and I whirled around to see what was happening. A big van rounded the corner too fast and hit a large patch of ice, causing it to skid straight toward the Swan girl. Suddenly, Edward was seen sweeping across the parking lot and pushing the girl out of the way, stopping the van with his bare hands—exposing all of our inhuman attributes.

"Bella?" he asked and I fought back the urge to run up to him and attack him right then and there. In front of everybody. It wouldn't matter anyway because we were already exposed. Our family was exposed. _Alice_ was exposed. A low snarl escaped my lips as I glared at him, my muscles tensing. I was ready to spring, ready to go back to the past and just tear him to shreds. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she insisted and tried to sit up.

"Be careful," he warned. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."

"Ow," the girl exclaimed.

"That's what I thought," Edward said lightly, as if he found this situation humorous which made me what to throttle him again.

"How in the . . . How did you get here so fast?" I snapped my teeth together in agitation. She noticed. She. Had. _Noticed._

"I was standing right next to you, Bella," Edward lied. They stared at each other for a while before the Swan girl tried to get up. Edward stopped her. "Just stay put for now."

"But it's cold," she objected and Edward chuckled. My eyes narrowed. "You were over there. You were by your car."

"No, I wasn't."

"I saw you."

"Bella I was standing with you, and I pulled you out of the way."

"No."

My hands balled into fists. Edward could've thought of a more descent lie, at least. Maybe that he was heading towards her and snuck up behind her before pulling her out of the way would be a _little _more plausible.

"Please, Bella." Edward pleaded.

"Why?"

"Trust me."

"Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"

"Fine." What was he saying? How could he just promise to explain everything to that _human_ like that? If he so much as told her _one_ thing, he'd never live to see tonight's sunset.

"Fine."

The girl was soon loaded into an ambulance and Edward went with her. Alice walked over to my side and put a calming hand on my forearm. I continued glaring towards the ambulance, silently shouting words to Edward-words that I would never allow Alice to hear from me-about how deficient his action was, knowing he heard it.

"Jazz, let's go to class," Alice said, tugging on my jacket. I shouted one more threat to him in my head before nodding and escorting Alice to hers before heading off to my own classroom. Edward would have to answer some serious questions when we got home.

Edward went to school after a while and we sat in silence in the car. Alice was worried, Rosalie was downright furious, Emmett was on the fence about things, and I had finally come to a resolve-that the Swan girl wouldn't have the chance to tell anyone what happened if I could help it. I'd kill her myself, get the job done, stop the worrying from everyone about Edward, and keep our family's secret safe. It was the best idea.

Edward parked the car and we all glided into the house to the table where Carlisle and Esme were sitting at their usual seats at the east side of the table. Rosalie went to the opposite side of the table and sat down with Emmett on her side. I stood, leaning on the wall behind her. Alice was the last to come in, her eyes in the future before she sat down on the opposite side. I wanted to join her, but it wasn't the right side. Swan had to die.

The emotional climate was in complete havoc, and I practically felt dizzy feeling so many emotions at once. Carlisle and Esme were worried, Edward was angry, Alice was scared, Rosalie furious, and Emmett confused. It was a lot to take in.

Edward took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I didn't mean to put any of you at risk. It was thoughtless, and I take full responsibility for my hasty action."

"What do you mean 'take full responsibility'?" Rosalie asked scathingly. "Are you going to fix it?"

"Not the way you mean," Edward explained. "I'm willing to leave now, if that makes things better."

"No," Esme murmured, completely hurt. "No, Edward."

"It's just a few years," Edward patted her hand.

"Esme's right, though," Emmett said. "You can't go anywhere now. That would be the _opposite_ of helpful. We have to know what people are thinking, now more than ever."

"Alice will catch anything major," Edward argued.

"I think Emmett is right, Edward," Carlisle said, shaking his head. "The girl will be more likely to talk if you disappear. It's all of us leave, or none of us."

"She won't say anything," Edward said stubbornly.

"You don't know her mind," Carlisle countered.

"I know this much," Edward insisted. "Alice, back me up."

Alice glanced at Edward warily, her emotions dropping deeper into despair. "I can't see what will happen if we just ignore this." She glanced at Rosalie, then at me, her eyes pleading for me to join her side on this. I gave her a look that told her it was wrong, even though it pained me more than any thirst in the world.

Rosalie was silently boiling and she was ready to explode. Her palm smacked down on the table.

"We can't allow the human a chance to say anything," she exclaimed. "Carlisle, you _must_ see that. Even if we all decided to disappear, it's not safe to leave stories behind us. We live so differently from the rest of our kind—you know there are those who would love an excuse to point fingers. We have to be more careful than anyone else!"

"We've left rumors behind us before," Edward said, sounding like a three year old stubborn child.

"Just rumors and suspicions, Edward," she hissed. "Not eyewitnesses and evidence!"

"Evidence!" Edward scoffed. I made eye contact with him and nodded, inexorable. Swan knew too much about everything and no one could not blab about that.

"Rosalie—"Carlisle started.

"Let me finish, Carlisle," Rosalie interrupted. "It doesn't have to be any big production. The girl hit her head today. So maybe that injury turns out to be more serious than it looked. Every mortal goes to sleep with the chance of never waking up. The others would expect us to clean up after ourselves. Technically, it would make it Edward's job, but this is obviously beyond him. You know I'm capable of control. I would leave no evidence behind me."

"Yes, Rosalie, we all know how proficient an assassin you are," Edward snarled and Rosalie hissed.

"Edward, please," Carlisle said, trying to keep the room calm. It wasn't working. I was too much on Rosalie's side to even help keep the room steady with content. "Rosalie, I looked the other way in Rochester because I felt that you were owed your justice. The men you killed had wronged you monstrously. This is not the same situation. The Swan girl is innocent."

"It's not personal, Carlisle," Rosalie hissed through her teeth. "It's to protect us all." Carlisle nodded and I felt Rosalie's happiness rise. She shouldn't be like that—Carlisle was never going to agree to kill another. Maybe I would be able to say I just got too thirsty and ran into her accidentally—use my weakness as an advantage of getting my way.

"I know you mean well, Rosalie," Carlisle started and Rosalie's happiness dropped, "but . . . I'd like very much for our family to be _worth_ protecting. The occasional . . . accident or lapse in control is a regrettable part of who we are."-My plan seemed better and better now.-"To murder a blameless child in cold blood is another thing entirely. I believe the risk she presents, whether she speaks her suspicions or not, is nothing to the greater risk. If we make exceptions, to protect ourselves, we risk something much more important. We risk losing the essence of who we are."

Rosalie scowled. "It's just being responsible."

"It's being callous," Carlisle insisted. "Every life is precious."

Rosalie started to pout and Emmett patted her shoulder.

"It'll be fine, Rose," he murmured to her.

"The question is whether we should move on?" Carlisle continued.

"No," Rose whined. "We just got settled. I don't want to start my sophomore year in high school again!"

"You could keep your present age, of course," Carlisle said calmly.

"And have to move again that much sooner?" she argued. "I _like_ it here! There's so little sun, we get to be almost _normal_."

"Well, we certainly don't have to decide now. We can wait and see if it becomes necessary. Edward seems certain of the Swan girl's silence."

Rosalie snorted, but she had given in. I, for one, had been through far too many wars to not be moved at all. I had learned not to trust anyone at all, because even the most trusted people could turn on you. The Swan girl had to go.

I could see it happening perfectly. How I would sneak up from behind, and give her a scare when she looked behind her shoulder. Her heart would pump faster, throwing adrenaline into the system and driving my instincts crazy. All I would do is bite into her jugular and feel the warm liquid that I had to abstain from slide down my throat . . .

"Jasper," Edward said and I met his gaze, keeping my composure. "She won't pay for my mistake. I won't allow that."

"She benefits from it, then?" I countered, glaring. "She should have died today, Edward. I would only set that right."

"I will not allow it," Edward said, emphasizing each word. My eyebrows shot up. He was going to go against me? He was going to fight against someone who had well over fifty years of practice killing thousands upon thousands of vampires? I shook my head briskly.

"I won't let Alice live in danger," I said, "even a slight danger. You don't feel about anyone the way I feel about her, Edward, and you haven't lived through what I've lived through, whether you've seen my memories or not. You don't understand."

"I'm not disputing that, Jasper. But I'm telling you now, I won't allow you to hurt Isabella Swan."

We searched for one another's breaking points. I tasted the emotions around him, seeing how determined he would be. Eventually, I would break him, and the girl would be history.

"Jazz," Alice interrupted us.

I held his gaze a moment longer before turning to Alice, predicting what she would say to me. She was resolved, and downright determined. "Don't bother telling me you can protect yourself, Alice. I already know that. I've still got to—"

"That's not what I'm going to say," Alice interrupted me. "I was going to ask you for a favor."

Edward read what Alice was thinking and he gasped. I eyed him warily. What was she going to ask of me?

"I know you love me," Alice began. "Thanks. But I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to kill Bella. First of all, Edward's serious and I don't want you two fighting. Secondly, she's my friend. At least, she's _going_ to be." My eyes widened. How-? What-? When-? Huh-?

"But . . . Alice . . ." I choked out, so shocked. How could she have kept this from me? When she knew so much about the Swan girl and Edward . . . why had she lied to me? We had never fibbed to each other before, or at least I had thought so.

"I'm going to love her someday, Jazz," Alice said. "I'll be very put out with you if you don't let her be."

I sighed and decided to let the girl be, but _only _for Alice.

"Ah," Alice sighed as the future cleared up for her. "See? Bella's not going to say anything. There's nothing to worry about."

"Alice . . . What . . . does this . . . ?" Edward said. I was still too stunned to even get a very coherent thought out. Alice . . . friends . . . . _Bella_ . . . don't kill . . . disobey . . . or obey . . .

"I told you there was a change coming," Alice said quickly. "I don't know."

Suddenly, she was concentrating so hard; I gave her a quizzical look.

"What, Alice?" Edward questioned, hearing that she was hiding something. "What are you hiding?" Alice shook her head, focusing even more. "Is is about the girl? Is it about Bella?" Suddenly, Alice's contemplation broke for a split second and she felt guilt and anger.

"NO!" Edward stood up fast, knocking his chair to the floor. Carlisle stood up instantly, too, putting his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"Edward!" he exclaimed.

"No," Edward said quieter. Emmett's curiosity flared up.

"Will somebody _please_ let the rest of us in on the mystery?" he whined.

"I have to leave," Edward whispered.

"Edward, we've already been over that," Emmett said. "That's the best way to start the girl talking. Besides, if you take off, we won't know for sure if she's talking or not. You have to stay and deal with this."

"I don't see you going anywhere, Edward," Alice chimed in. "I don't know if you _can _leave anymore."

I finally got over my consternation to pause for a moment and think a bit. With Edward gone, I could easily kill the Swan girl, but that would be betraying Alice. Not killing the girl would also be betraying my vow for always protecting Alice for eternity. I guess killing the girl would be the better option, even if Alice would be mad at me, at least she'd be safe again.

"I don't hear that," Edward argued before dropping his head into his hands. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Everyone but Alice and Edward exchanged a glance. What was going on?

"Love her, _too_?" Edward whispered and my eyes widened. Were they still talking about the Swan girl? But . . . how? Edward couldn't possibly be in love with her. I quickly examined the emotions I had felt coming from him: infatuation . . . protectiveness . . . curiosity . . . and even a bit of happiness, which was rare for him. No! He _was_ in love! How could that be?

"No," Edward shook his head, refusing whatever Alice had told him in her head. "I don't have to follow that course. I'll leave. I _will_ change the future."

"You can try," Alice said skeptically.

"Oh, _come on_!" Emmett bellowed, not following with the half of the conversation we could hear.

"Pay attention," Rosalie hissed to him. "Alice sees him falling for a _human_! How classically Edward!" She gagged, her amusement rising.

Emmett's eyes widened. "What?" then he laughed. "Is that what's been going on? Tough break, Edward."

Emmett clapped Edward's shoulder, but he shook it off.

"_Fall_ for a human?" Esme asked, stunned. "For the girl he saved today? Fall in _love_ with her?" I couldn't even believe what I was hearing.

"What do you see, Alice?" I demanded. "Exactly."

Alice turned toward me.

"It all depends on whether he is strong enough or not," she explained. "Either he'll kill her himself"—Alice turned and glared at Edward—"which would _really_ irritate me, Edward, not to mention what it would do to _you_"—Alice turned back to me—"or she'll be one of us someday." I gasped. Even with my wife's clarification of the subject, I still couldn't believe it.

"That's not going to happen!" Edward shouted. "Either one!"

"It all depends," Alice ignored him. "He may be just strong enough not to kill her—but it will be close. It will take an amazing amount of control. More even than Carlisle has. He may be _just_ strong enough . . . The only thing he's not strong enough to do is stay away from her. That's a lost cause."

Everyone had words lodged in their throats, and the shock weighed heavy on top of me. Edward stared, horrified, at Alice while we all stared back at him. Carlisle was the first to speak.

"Well, this . . . complicates things," he said and Emmett bit back his mockery.

"I'll say," he said, his voice wavering with the unheard laughter.

"I suppose the plans remain the same, though," Carlisle continued. "We'll stay, and watch. Obviously, no one will . . . hurt the girl." Edward stiffened.

"No," I said quietly. "I can agree to that. If Alice sees only two ways-"

"No! No!" Edward shouted. Alice was confident in how Edward would choose between the two, specifically Bella becoming a vampire. As long as Alice was safe and happy, I'd agree to anything she agreed to, with reason, of course. Edward instantly ran out of the room, Esme gently brushed his arm as he ran far away from the house.

"He'll be okay," Carlisle soothed her, wrapping his arm around her. "He just needs to think about things and sort everything out." Esme sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. Alice walked over to me and grabbed my hand, leading me upstairs and into our bedroom. I rubbed my neck.

"Alice—" I started but she cut me off with a chaste kiss. We broke apart and I blinked, my brow furrowing in confusion.

"Thanks for seeing it my way," she said, resting her head on my chest; I stroked her hair.

"Any time," I said. "But you do understand that I have to protect you."

"Yes," Alice said, sighing quietly. "I just hope he chooses the right path."

"I'm sure Edward will," I said, moving us backwards and sitting us down on our bed. "He's a smart person, and you can't ignore falling in love. I'd be the one to know." Alice chuckled a little, remembering how I had acted when she had first met me. Eventually, I had fallen in love with her, but it took me forever to really realize the fact and embrace it.

"Yeah," she said, nuzzling deeper into my shirt. "He's going to do the right thing. He just needs time to think and realize that falling in love isn't as painful or terrible as he makes it out to be." I bit my lip, deliberating it. Falling in love with a human would definitely be . . . difficult for me. When you were in love, you'd want to kiss and touch each other—I can't even stand within two feet of humans let alone touch them without wanting terribly to kill them.

"I guess I can see it his way, though," I said and Alice looked up, meeting my gaze. "If you were human and you smelled exceptionally good to me, I'd try to stay away from you for your safety. One small error from you could cause me to kill you right on the spot. I'd never want to hurt you." Alice smiled at that.

"That's why I love you," Alice whispered, kissing me once more on the lips.

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**A/N: Hit or miss? I hope you liked it! I promise the next update will be sooner!**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)  
**


	3. Chapter 3: Love

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the wait-I promise I'll try to update faster than what I have been doing. Thanks to all who have reviewed and to my wonderful beta lipstickletter. Without her, this story would literally be garbage. Read on.**

**_Disclaimer: I really don't feel good so this disclaimer will not be humorous (not like the others really are-just lame attempts to make someone out there laugh). I don't own a thing in here. Sorry, I just don't._  
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Chapter Three: Love**

Alice was annoyed again today at lunch. Edward had refrained from having any contact with Bella longer than Alice had expected and the future was not set on her becoming friends with the infamous Swan girl…Isabella. Alice preferred when I called her by her first name because it made her seem more like another member of the family. She made me call her by her name, though I refused to call Isabella by her nickname. I hadn't even said a word to the girl and yet Alice expected me to treat her like a lifelong sister. I tried to please my love as much as possible, though it did cause me to venture out of my comfort zone a lot of the time.

I sighed as Edward's emotions got to me again. He was wound so tightly I felt as if I would nearly burst every time I let his emotions get past the wall I had built specifically for him. My hands clenched into fists. I'd much rather have raging thirsts than Edward's emotions pounding on me day in and day out. I tried to distract myself by focusing on Alice. She was looking into the future, her lips set into a delicate pout, her eyebrows forming a very slight crease on her forehead as whatever she saw disappointed her.

"Stay out of it, Alice," Edward hissed to her. "It's not going to happen."

Yeah, right. Just wait and see, Edward, you'll be even deeper in love with her in a matter of days and you'll finally crack, making my wife much happier. Do you know how difficult it is to just sit here and not do anything about my wife's annoyance and anger with you? Apparently, Edward was far too focused on Alice to pay any attention to my rant.

"It makes plenty of sense to me."

Alice's irritation flared up as she snorted. Soon, lunch was over and we all departed for our classes.

* * *

Emmett caught up with Alice and me at her locker, almost ready to leave.

"Edward's acting weird," he blurted out.

"He's in love, Emmett," Alice said dreamily. "Of course you act weird then."

"No," Emmett shook his head. "He's acting weirder than normal. He asked me to wait for him for some reason."

"Odd," I commented as Rosalie caught up with us and Emmett informed her of our brother's strange behavior. We walked slowly out to the parking lot, watching Edward block Isabella's way of getting out. A boy—I believe his name is Tyler Crowley—marched up to Isabella's car and knocked on the window..

Edward's amusement was steadily flowing from his car as he paid attention to whatever the two were talking about. Soon, jealousy came crashing upon me before Edward started rocking with laughter. My eyebrows creased together. Was he mentally sane?

"Let's go!" Rosalie hissed when we were all in the car, but Edward continued laughing. "Stop being an idiot. If you _can_." We rode mainly in silence, with Edward chuckling here and there at his thoughts.

"So do I get to talk to Bella now?" Alice blurted out suddenly and Edward's mood instantly darkened.

"No," he snapped.

"Not fair! What am I waiting for?"

"I haven't decided anything, Alice."

"Whatever, Edward," Alice grumbled, rolling her eyes and settling deeper into her seat.

"What's the point in getting to know her?" Edward muttered. "If I'm just going to kill her?"

"You have a point," Alice said after a second of silence. Edward quickly turned and we were at our house.

"Enjoy your run," Rosalie told him as he flew out of the car and disappeared into the forest. I got out of the car and took Alice's hand, walking into the house and finding Esme waiting for us.

"He's gone running, as usual," I told her and Esme's anxiety faded. She was so happy that Edward was falling in love and she wanted to support him, but Edward didn't exactly want that. Edward didn't really like to be with us much—he much preferred being in his room or somewhere secluded. At least, that was the case. I never knew what would happen now that new feelings were erupting in him.

"I just wish I could talk to her already," Alice sighed, flopping loudly onto our bed. I put my hand on her back and rubbed gentle circles into her soft cotton shirt.

"He'll let you when he's good and ready," I said. "She has to probably talk to him a _little_ bit more, though." I chuckled a little with how anxious my wife could get with something.

"He's not coming back tonight," Alice told me, closing her eyes and let me continue to soothe her.

"Is that so?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Alice sighed with contentment. "He's going to watch Bella sleep." My eyes widened and I stopped massaging Alice, looking at her like she was insane with how casual she had said that statement. She opened one eye and looked at me. "What?"

"'Watch Bella sleep'?" I questioned, raising both my eyebrows. How could he stand to be in the same room as one human all night long? Night was my escape from all the thirst that those ignorant humans forced me to suffer through. And she evidently smelled better to him than any others! Was he just _trying _to kill her? I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all. Still, Alice's happiness soared when I used Bel—er, _Isabella_'s nickname. I shouldn't be getting that close to her so soon. I didn't even want Edward to fall in love, even if Alice saw it happening. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted my brother to see the joys love could bring to one man, but did it have to be a human? Couldn't he fall in love with another vampire? That would make things much simpler, not to mention keep our family's secret safe.

"Yes," Alice said. "I don't really know why, but he's going to be doing that for a while." My brow furrowed. If Edward were thirsting for her, why would he go into her bedroom and watch her sleep? That would kill both the girl _and myself. _Maybe he had decided. He was just going to see it my way and kill the girl. No, Alice said that he would watch her sleep for a while. What was he thinking? Alice sighed and lay back down on the bed.

"Now, please continue," she said and I laughed, starting to rub her shoulders.

* * *

Edward did not make an appearance when he usually did, just like Alice had predicted. Esme worried slightly, but everything else went the same. I even agreed to another rematch with Emmett. He circled around me like I was his prey, studying my every move with his golden eyes. His muscles tightened and I knew he was about to spring. I acted like I didn't notice and stepped out of the way the last second. He growled.

"Lesson number one, Emmett," I said, smirking at his irritation. "Don't be too obvious about attacking your opponent. Which means don't do this . . ." I demonstrated his tensing of the muscles before springing at him. He easily dodged my half-hearted attack. I straightened and looked at him, waiting for the right opportunity.

Emmett started circling me yet again and I rolled my eyes. I saw a blur in the corner of my eyes and I tensed for an eighteenth of a second. Where had he gone? I swirled around in time to see him running towards me. I held my fist out and let him smack right in front of me with a thunderous crash. Hopefully no one noticed that. Alice peeked out the window and sent me a warning glare with Rosalie right behind her. I put on my best innocent face before I heard footsteps behind me. I whirled around belatedly and Emmett landed right on top of me.

I squirmed out of his grasp, always landing on my feet, as I had been taught for so many years: never stay on the ground more than necessary-don't ever stay on the ground if you can help it.

"Attacking from behind or taking advantage of blind spots is good, but repeating it doesn't do well," I advised as we circled around each other this time. "I keep track of all your movements, Em, and I can easily predict what you'll do next if you continue to use the same moves."

"Quit lecturing me, Whitlock, and let's fight," Emmett growled dangerously through his teeth, a playful gleam in his eye. Annoyance flowed freely off of him.

"Just let the record show, that's Major Whitlock to you. " I said before pinning him to the ground. "I believe I just won."

Emmett hissed as I got off of him, smiling smugly before realizing how early it was in the morning. We would have to go to school soon.

I flew into the house and nearly ran into Alice, who was standing in the middle of the living room, waiting for me.

"Edward will meet us at the school," she said, answering my question before I could word it. "Let's go. We don't want to be late."

Everyone got into the Volvo and we were off, with me driving for once. I had learned how to drive, though I hadn't really found interest in any automobile—I had been taught to just run by foot for most of my upbringing. I swiftly parked the car and saw Edward walk out of the trees. His eyes were scanning the parking lot and didn't look towards us before I had turned my attention to the rest of the high school. Tonight was hunting night with Emmett and I desperately needed it. Alice didn't allow me to go without hunting for over a week now so I had to hunt just a week before this one. If I kept this up, I'd never _ever_ be able to master control.

* * *

Lunch came quickly and Alice told me that Edward wouldn't be sitting with us today—he'd sit with Bella. I really thought he was pushing his luck and restraint on this. Eventually, he would snap and I didn't want it to be right in front of a bunch of humans, or in front of me. The smell of her blood was just as good as any other humans' and if Edward spilt her blood in front of me, it might be a duel to the death over who got to have the last drop.

_Good luck,_ I said to him in my mind as I passed, giving him a half smile.

"Keep out of it," Edward hissed as my wife passed by him. Her emotions went from devastated to hyperactive in a fraction of a second. She skipped up to my side and I pulled her seat out for her. She sat in it, smiling gratefully and I sat down, toying with a Clementine that was on my tray.

I swallowed my venom as I remembered how they sometimes used oranges to practice giving injections because it was like human skin. Clementines were close enough. I pictured the needle slowly going into the human skin, puncturing slightly. The human would flinch and the needle would slowly pull out, revealing a tiny drop of blood oozing out of the hole . . .

I hated being this thirsty—it always made me think in strange ways about the humans around me. How I could just kill each and every one of them in the cafeteria in about twenty seconds.

Alice put her hand on my arm and I made eye contact with her. Her worried eyes told me that I could skip out the rest of the day, but I shook my head.

"I can handle it," I muttered. She patted my arm encouragingly before gazing away, picking at her pizza here and there. I sighed, mildly annoyed with her pity. If I was ever going to get better at managing my thirst, I needed to do this on my own. One might argue people to support you would help, I was practically on a journey of self-discovery. A solo adventure. I decided to distract myself by listening to Edward and Isabella's conversation.

"I think your friends are angry at me for stealing you," Edward said casually.

"They'll survive," Bella said, not even caring about her friends.

"I may not give you back, though," Edward said dangerously and Isabella gulped. I balled my hands into fists.

_Way to be obvious, dear brother,_ I hissed to him in my mind. He didn't hear me.

Edward laughed. How could he think this situation funny at all? He was nearly exposing our family's secret over some emotion! His love for her was sweeping over me constantly, and I'd had enough of it.

"You look worried," he said.

"No," her voice broke, making it not needed to have my power to tell she was lying. "Surprised, actually…what brought this on?"

"I told you," Edward murmured. "I got tired of staying away from you. So I'm giving up."

"Giving up?" Isabella repeated.

"Yes—giving up trying to be good," he answered and I clenched my teeth. Alice smiled as she paid attention to their conversation.

"He's finally realizing things, isn't he?" Alice asked. I didn't answer. What he hadn't realized was how I would "accidentally" relinquish control over my thirst and kill the girl if he happened to slip and ruin our entire cover. What was he even planning to do with this girl? She appealed to him, and not just with her blood, but he couldn't tell his family's secret. Not unless he wanted the Volturi after us.

"You lost me again," the girl admitted sheepishly.

"I always say too much when I'm talking to you—that's one of the problems," Edward said, his happiness radiating that she didn't understand anything. Oh, he better be happy that he hadn't spoiled anything.

"Don't worry," Isabella assured him. "I don't understand any of it."

"I'm counting on that."

"So, in plain English, are we friends now?"

"Friends…"

"Or not?"

I couldn't listen anymore. They both wanted to be more than friends—I could feel it. That just wasn't right. Vampires weren't supposed to have any real contact with humans, except for meals—especially if that relationship could spoil the secret and send the Volturi out to investigate.

I accidentally crushed the Clementine in my hand. Juice splattered everywhere. I just slammed it down on my plate. Alice sighed, looking up at the ceiling with disappointment clearly plastered on her face. I didn't care what she thought now—this was dangerous. If Edward stayed away from the Swan girl, the Volturi would surely stay away from us. This was the first time I allowed myself to form my own opinions about things _against_ Alice's opinions.

Class went by slowly, as usual, and I sighed, ignoring the alluring scent of everyone around me.

"Hmm, she does have quite a flavor, doesn't she?" Emmett commented as I got in the car. It was true, I guess. The human scent to me was like how the Swan girl was to Edward. I smelled the air, realizing that I wasn't just imagining the girl's scent. It was in the car, in Alice's usual spot where Emmett was seated. Odd. Rosalie's anger flared up as Edward snarled at Emmett, who apologized.

My mouth filled with venom again as I smelled the air of the Swan girl's delicate scent. She did smell good; I had to give her that.

Alice skipped to Edward's car door, holding her hand out. "I only saw that I was. You'll have to tell me the whys."

"This doesn't mean—" Edward argued and my eyebrows creased together. What was going on?

"I know, I know. I'll wait. It won't be long."

Edward sighed and handed her the key. She drove the Swan girl's—_Isabella's_—truck to a certain house and Edward followed her. The car went so slow I was amazed I had the patience to actually stay inside the car. When Alice was done, she skipped into the seat right next to me and Edward drove us home.

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**A/N: Was the length enough to make up for the wait? Please, please review! Reviews are like money to me. I'm writing right now, but I'm not getting paid enough. Would you mind clicking that review button under this and telling me if my writing is good and I whether or not I should keep going with this story?**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4: Piano Playing

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow (October 4th) and I won't be back until the 10th so I felt I needed to give y'all an update before I mysteriously disappear, haha. I'll promise to get my next chapter into my beta ASAP. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and my beta, lipstickletter. You rock! Okay, read on.**

**_Disclaimer: I am really getting tired of saying this. Can't you people just realize I am not Stephenie Meyer and I own nothing in here? :P_  
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Chapter 4: Piano Playing**

I moved my Bishop over, keeping my face stoic as Emmett's brow furrowed in frustration. We were playing our own version of chess, which consisted of eight boards and a very complicated set of rules. Regular chess was just too easy for our minds, hence the boards and the rules. Alice danced to her computer in the other room and I heard her monitors sing to life. She was working on a project for a new wardrobe for Rosalie, but Rosalie wasn't helping her today. She sat on the couch lethargically flipping through twenty channels a second.

Alice's head popped around the wall and she mouthed Emmett's next moves to me. I kept my poker face on as I cut off Emmett's favorite knight, trying not to spread my smugness to Emmett or he'd realize I was cheating. At least I'd win our bet and get two hundred dollars. Emmett and I always gambled before we competed in anything, just to make the competition even more exciting.

Suddenly, I heard the familiar notes of the piano that had not been played for at least three decades, give or take another decade. My eyes barely glanced at Edward as Esme ran down the stairs and sat at the bottom step, leaning her head on the banister and listening to Edward's music. Alice mouthed another move and I cut off another one of Emmett's pieces. His frustration and determination were hilarious as he tried very hard to seem unfazed by the act. Abruptly, the music stopped and Edward's bout of laughter echoed around the room.

"Don't stop, Edward," Esme pleaded.

Embarrassment and fury raged from Rosalie as Emmett and I stared at Edward, who was trying very hard not to smile. Rosalie stormed out of the room as Edward tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh.

"What's wrong, Rose?" Emmett called out as Rosalie went into the garage, hiding underneath her car. Emmett looked expectantly at Edward. "What was that about?"

"I don't have the faintest idea," Edward murmured, lying. Judging by both Rosalie and Edward's emotions, Edward had heard something embarrassing in Rosalie's thoughts. What the thoughts were, I had no idea.

"Keep playing," Esme urged and he continued playing. "It's charming. Does it have a name?"

"Not yet," Edward answered, testing his melody.

"Is there a story to it?"

"It's…a lullaby, I suppose," Edward admitted. I raised an eyebrow. Why would a vampire need a _lullaby_? I looked toward my wife and she mouthed Emmett's next move to me.

"A lullaby," Esme murmured affectionately. Alice entered the room, leaving me with my own devices. At least I had a trick up my sleeve. I tasted the emotions around Emmett as I eyed different pieces, acting undecided and moving a certain piece when he showed regret and tension. Everybody tended to forget about my power, and I occasionally used that to my advantage.

Alice sat next to Edward and started singing a wordless melody two octaves above his tune.

"I like it," Edward murmured. "But how about this?" Edward added Alice's melody to the tune and I found myself relishing in my wife's wonderful voice. Emmett slipped passed me, causing one of my knight's to be blocked, but I didn't really care.

Edward modified the tune a bit, and Alice caught along. "Yes. Perfect." Alice was starting to take off on the melody as Edward slowly went lower. Alice caught on and lowered her voice, too. Soon, Edward played the last note and bowed his head over the keys.

"Thanks," Edward whispered to Esme's thoughts. "Stop it, Mom, you're making me blush."

Alice giggled and started "Heart and Soul". Edward smiled and joined her, completing the melody on his piano before pleasing her with a round of "Chopsticks". Alice giggled again after they were done. I quickly blocked Emmett's bishop, winning the game.

"So I wish you'd tell me what you were laughing at Rose about," Alice sighed. "But I can see that you won't."

"Nope," Edward said and Alice flicked his ear.

"Be nice, Alice," Esme said. "Edward is being a gentleman."

"But I want to _know_," Alice whined and I chuckled a little under my breath.

"Here Esme," Edward chuckled and started playing the melody he had written for Carlisle and Esme's relationship. I sighed, remembering the one he had written for Alice and me. It was combined of two very different melodies, both complete opposites. The higher one was fast and never-ending or repeating (clearly Alice's) and the lower one was slower, but followed the other's melody slightly, just slower with a different beat to it (clearly mine). They danced around each other, occasionally joining together for a split second, but moving off one another yet again. It ended with a beautiful chord. I had it put in my memory for I had heard it at least a thousand times (Alice had made Edward play it at least ten times a day when he had first composed it).

"Thank you, dear," she whispered. The melody continued in silence. It was slow, and yet fast paced. I swayed a little to the music, causing Emmett's amusement level to rise.

"Oh!" Alice suddenly gasped and I instantly forgot everything but her safety. "Jasper, guess what?" Edward had abruptly stopped playing, his tension building at increasing rates.

"What, Alice?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, but some worry broke through.

"Peter and Charlotte are coming to visit next week!" Alice exclaimed, smiling. I smiled, too, remembering my friends. "They're going to be in the neighborhood, isn't that nice?"

Tension exploded from Edward and I was worried that he was going to hurt Alice for a second. Esme spoke my words of worry.

"What's wrong, Edward?" she asked, sensing his distress.

"Peter and Charlotte are coming to _Forks_?" Edward hissed and Alice rolled her eyes.

"Calm down, Edward. It's not their first visit." Alice huffed; giving Edward a dirty look he couldn't see when he looked even more agitated. "They never hunt here. You know that."

"When?" Edward demanded. Alice pursed her lips. "No. You ready, Emmett?" Apparently, she had answered in her mind. I'd have to ask her what day they were coming. Esme would want to fix up the house before they came and Alice would want to get me some sort of new outfit to "impress" them with though they only wore dirtied pants and holey button-up shirts. That's what nomads were like.

Edward wasn't happy whatsoever with the idea of my friends coming, but he had resigned. They would come, but he'd protect Bella. I guess that was reasonable for him.

"I thought we were leaving in the morning?" Emmett asked as he counted out the money he owed me.

"We're coming back Sunday by midnight," Edward explained smoothly. Of course I wouldn't be included in this hunt. Edward and Emmett were much closer to each other than they were to me and tended to leave me out of things. I didn't mind, though—Alice would probably take me hunting tonight anyway.

"Okay, fine. Let me say goodbye to Rose first."

"Sure." Edward said as Emmett left the room. "I suppose I have."

"Play the new song for me," Esme urged, "one more time."

"If you'd like that," Edward agreed, though I felt his reluctance. He pulled a lemonade cap out of his pocket and set it on the piano before playing. I raised my eyebrows and Alice and Esme exchanged a look. No one asked what it meant, though.

* * *

Peter and Charlotte arrived on a sunny morning and were staying until Tuesday night, another sunny day, so we could spend two days with them, not even having to go to school. It was great to see them, I admit, but Edward was sort of making them edgy. When they had first arrived, Edward wasn't home—probably busy watching Bella sleep—which left us in an awkward position. We had to explain to my friends that our brother was fascinated with a human.

"_Jasper!" Charlotte cried out as she saw me smiling at her. She pulled me into a hug before Alice attacked her with an over-ecstatic welcoming. Peter and I shook hands, smiling wide. Their eyes were bright red, showing they had just hunted before coming into this city, which made me grateful. There had been one time when they were visiting that Peter had lost control and attacked an innocent human, causing us to move. He was so guilty, and we tried not to bring the memory up whenever he was around._

"_How are you, man?" Peter asked._

"_Good," I said. "How about you?"_

"_Fine myself," Peter beamed as Emmett barreled down the staircase and engulfed both of our guests in one hug._

"_Emmett, don't kill them, please," I warned as Charlotte's eyes bulged out by how hard Emmett was squeezing them. He let go instantly, smiling sheepishly. Rosalie walked down next and welcomed them as she usually did, just a simple "Hey." Esme hugged both of our guests and Carlisle did the same._

"_Where's Edward?" Charlotte asked and Rosalie snorted, strutting out of the room. She was still very angry with Edward. Emmett followed her, trying to soothe her. Carlisle and Esme had already gone off and Alice smiled._

"_Watching Bella," she said simply and their confusion filled the room._

"_Bella is a human," I explained. "Edward has a…fascination with her. She smells much more appetizing to him than any other human."_

"_He's in love with her," Alice said and I shot her a warning look. We didn't want to scare our guests _too _much._

"_What?" they gasped._

"_He's been having a tough time lately," I said. "You'll have to excuse him-he's very confused about everything."_

Edward exited the house without anything but a silent nod to Peter and Charlotte.

"I can see what you meant about him having some difficulties," Charlotte laughed awkwardly before we continued chatting away. My friends' stay was too short, and I soon found myself saying goodbye to them. Edward was in the house, but he refused to say a word to them as he played the piano with impatience.

"If you see Maria again," I said warily, "tell her I wish her well." Alice clenched my hand, and I repressed a shudder, remembering the time Maria had looked up my family and met us in Calgary. It had been quite an eventful visit, and ended with us having to move. I tried to politely ask her to keep her distance in the future, for the truce we had had apparently meant that she could come and nearly blow our cover.

"I don't imagine that will happen soon," Peter laughed, being the only one that could take remembering the past lightly. He hated Maria, but she hadn't affected him too much. "But, should it happen, I certainly will."

I shook hands with both of them and Edward's song faded away. He got up hastily and nodded to my friends.

"Charlotte, Peter," he said, speaking the first two words he had since they had arrived on Monday.

"It was nice to see you again, Edward," Charlotte said, sounding doubtful. Peter just nodded.

Edward left just when they did, his tires screeching off into the distance.

"Where's he going off to?" I questioned as Alice and I went upstairs to our bedroom. She shrugged, trying to look innocent.

"I have absolutely no clue," she said, her eyes wide with a false concerned look plastered on her face.

"Absolutely was a nice touch, but it wasn't completely necessary," I chided and Alice rolled her eyes.

"I _think _I have an idea," Alice sighed. "But he keeps changing his mind on where he's going to hunt."

"Oh," I said before Alice danced out of the room. I opened a book and started reading, long enough to try to convince Alice that I was going to do nothing else. About three chapters in, I tried to think of what I was going to get Alice. Our fifty-fifth anniversary was coming up and I had to not make a decision on exactly what I wanted, just get it narrowed down to three things, because Alice was watching. Oh, she was always watching, and for fifty-four times, she had already known what I had gotten her before I gave it to her. It frustrated me so, but I knew that that's what made me love Alice. I drummed my fingers on my chin, deep in decision.

"No!" Alice gasped and I flew down the stairs to where she was sitting on the couch.

"What is it, Alice?" I demanded, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a shake to take her away from the future. Carlisle was by my side in an instant. "There . . . are . . . Bella . . . rapists . . . Edward . . . kill."

"Please explain, Alice," Carlisle said, sitting on the other side of the couch and touching her back. I forced a wave of calm on her, but it didn't have as strong enough effect because I was far too panicked about what was going on.

"Bella is in Port Angeles and Edward is following her," Alice said quickly. "She got cornered by some serial rapists and Edward is going to kill them in front of Bella. He might not even restrain himself enough to not kill her as well. I have to call him."

Her fingers flew to her phone, and I heard it ringing as she brought it up to her ear. I tried to process what she had said. So Edward hadn't gone hunting…he was just following Bell—_Isa_bella—around Port Angeles. Apparently, she was a danger magnet like he had expressed to me at one point. Alice sighed and hung up; relief washing over her.

"He didn't kill them," she leaned back into the couch, smiling. Carlisle looked relieved.

"Why did you lie to me?" I asked. Alice perked her head up.

"I was afraid you wouldn't approve," she explained.

"What Edward does in his life has nothing to do with me," I sighed. "He has a right to do what he wants."

"I'm sorry."

"I know. It's okay." I smiled at her, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Carlisle smiled at us.

"So, all is safe in Port Angeles?" he questioned and Alice nodded, her eyes faraway. She didn't hide her hesitancy from me, and I decided to not press what was wrong so I turned the TV on. Alice danced off to the porch and Carlisle left to go to his study.

I heard Edward pulled up into our garage before long and heard him having a one-sided conversation on the porch with Alice. He was agitated again and Carlisle met up with him so Carlisle could go and kill the person who had apparently bothered Isabella. I decided to join Alice on the porch and sat right next to her, staring at the cloudy night sky, breathing in the human-free air. That's why I liked living farther away from the rest of the town-I was able to breathe freely without having to feel my thirst. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, just enjoying the silence.

"So…are you going to get that ring anytime soon?" Alice giggled and my eyelids flipped open. She knew. Darn it! She figured out what I was going to get her.

"Fifty-_five_ years in a row," I sighed, smacking my hand on my forehead. Alice just laughed and laughed.

* * *

**A/N: Speaking of anniversaries, my grandparents had one a while ago and I forgot to mention them. They've been married for 53 years now (woot woot!) and they are truly the real life Alice and Jasper. My grandpa is always reserved and rarely talks while my grandma is bouncing around the house and talking nonstop. I love you guys! This story is dedicated to you, because you've helped me achieve so much in my life!**

**Hit or miss? Please review!**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)**


	5. Chapter 5: She Knows

**A/N: Please ignore any rumors about my sudden death. :P Sorry guys! The transition from vacation to normal life is tough, and I've had to face quite a lot of things recently. So, without further ado, I bring you Chapter 5! I promise I'll update faster seeing I won't be as busy! I hope it's worth the wait. ^^ Oh! Shout-out to my awesome beta, lipstickletter! She makes me seem like I'm a better author than I really am! Thanks, girl!  
**

**_Disclaimer: My name is Emma and I kind of have a confession to make...um...I'm not Stephenie Meyer. There I said it._  
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* * *

Chapter Five: She Knows**

Alice hopped into the front seat of Rosalie's car and I slid into the back. Rosalie walked into the garage and stopped, glaring at Alice.

"Why are you in my car?" she hissed, running straight up to Alice. Alice merely smiled and shrugged.

"Edward wanted us to," was all she said. Rosalie growled, but willingly took the wheel of her car. She loved to give it a ride around town and show it off to all the jealous humans. It made her feel better that she had something that they didn't have, much like how they had the ability to have children and she didn't.

Emmett quickly hopped right next to me and we sped off down the road. We got to school before Edward did and Alice had me escort her to her class before anyone could question his whereabouts. I quickly looked over my shoulder to see Edward with Isabella pull into the parking lot before Alice bid me goodbye. It was times like these that made me wonder what was going on in Edward's head.

* * *

Lunch came quickly and I decided to listen to Edward and Isabella's conversation, maybe get some clues as to what went down in Port Angeles last night. Alice was smiling widely as she played with her food.

"What are you doing?" Isabella hissed to Edward, who was carrying a heaping tray of food. "You're not getting all that for me?"

I pursed my lips and digested this comment. Why would Isabella assume that all of the food on Edward's tray was for her? Most humans ate during lunch. Surely, we acted well enough for everyone to suppose we ate food. Or were we slacking?

"Half is for me, of course," Edward replied, lying easily. The way he looked at her, though, made him appear to be joking. He paid for his food and sat them at the table where they had eaten at last week. "Take whatever you want." Isabella took an apple and toyed with it.

"I'm curious," she said at last. "What would you do if someone dared you to eat food?" I blinked in shock. Humans definitely didn't dare humans to eat food. It was like daring a vampire to hunt.

She knew. She knew. _She knew_. SHE. KNEW! I clenched onto the table so hard that I mangled the tabletop. I smoothed it out angrily; making it seem like some kid had used a knife to cut it. My jaw clenched tightly. Edward had gone too far this time. He had broken a rule. Not just any rule, but a our only rule. He had put everyone in danger: Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, and, most importantly, Alice. Oh, how I wish there were no witnesses in this cafeteria so I could throttle him! How could he just be so careless? He _let his guard down_ and allowed the girl to find out.

"What?" Rosalie whispered fiercely and we all turned to Alice.

"Last night, Bella said that this kid over on the reservation told her a story about us and she figured out that we were vampires," Alice smiled warmly, not even caring that Rosalie was swearing in every language she knew. Her smile faltered when she looked at my shaking head. This wasn't supposed to happen. Edward was just supposed to kill this girl and keep her out of our lives; keep the Volturi at bay. If he went on with swapping secrets with Bella, the Volturi would come to us. Kill us. Kill _Alice._ And I would never allow that to happen.

"Does he _know_ what this will do to us?" Rosalie hissed and she made to get up from the table.

"Easy, Rose," Emmett said and quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, restraining her.

Alice sighed and put her hand on top of mine.

"It's the way things are supposed to happen," she whispered, her eyes begging me to not be angry with my brother. I was okay with them falling in love—inevitable, as Alice had said—but not with him just opening his mouth and telling her that we were vampires.

"Not this way," I growled, glaring at a slice of pizza that was on my plate. Alice sighed and tried to reassure us that everything was going to be okay with the Swan girl knowing—easier, even. Rosalie and I were unconvinced, but Emmett accepted it easily. He was weak, too trusting, and wouldn't stand two minutes in war.

* * *

We rode in silence in Rosalie's convertible as we sped down the road. Alice was in the back seat next to me, holding and patting my hand, trying to calm me down. It didn't work. Rosalie was still swearing and Emmett was looking uncomfortably out the window. Every few seconds he and Alice would exchange worried glances. We got home and I stormed into the house, going straight to the dining room and standing behind a chair. This discussion was going to happen whether or not Edward wanted it to. Esme wandered into the room as I helped Alice into a seat. Rosalie and Emmett were already seated.

"What on Earth is going on?" she asked. Rosalie growled and Alice quickly explained about Swan's discovery. Esme blinked, letting the information sit in as we heard two cars pull up: Edward and Carlisle. Edward walked calmly into the dining room, not at all surprised that we were seated and Carlisle came in shortly after him.

"Edward has informed me of what has happened," he said calmly, giving each one of us a meaningful look. "And there's been a mention of some disagreements to what has transpired." He eyed Rosalie and me specifically. "Would you care to explain yourselves?"

"Of course, Carlisle," Rosalie said, smiling gravely. "Ed—"

"Let me just get this out here before anyone says anything," Edward interrupted. "I never told her anything and I had no intentions of her ever finding out."

"Well, then what were you _going_ to do, Edward?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. Alice looked tormented by how we were both acting. I grimaced at her emotions, but remembered that this conversation had to happen. It was just about Edward and Swan anymore; it was about the whole family and Swan.

"I don't believe I planned on anything," Edward murmured, looking thoughtful. "But I do know how we all don't want our secret to be blown. Bella will never tell a soul—I know that. Actually, _we_ know that. Right, Alice?"

"Yes," Alice nodded, looking straight at me pointedly. I shook my head.

"That still doesn't mean anything," I disagreed. "You have put our family in danger. Alice. Do you even think before your actions? Did you even think about the Volturi?"

"The Volturi are Carlisle's friends," Edward said calmly. "Surely, they can spare us." By the way he said it; I knew he wasn't sure of how the Volturi would treat this situation.

"You say the Swan girl learned this fact from a kid on the reservation," Rosalie asked and Edward snarled.

"Her name is _Bella_," he growled, glaring at both of us.

"And told you about her suspicions," Rosalie continued as if Edward had never spoken. "Why didn't you deny them?"

"She had all the facts, Rosalie," Edward said shaking his head.

"You could always have come up with excuses for everything she said."

"But it came from a _Quileute."_

"And?"

"My point is they know the truth!"

Rosalie and Edward had both stood up and were giving each other the death-stare.

"Rosalie has a point, Edward," I stated, causing Edward's anger to flare up more. I set my jaw. "You could've easily laughed it off and claimed that her suspicion was the stupidest thing you've heard. This was as much your fault as hers."

"It was the way it was _supposed_ to happen," Alice argued, standing up as well. We made eye contact, both apologizing for taking different sides. "If Bella was going to become one of us, surely she would have to _know_ what we are!" Edward was pleased, Rosalie was outraged, and I was resigned. Alice was always right. I jutted my chin forward and sat back down into my chair. Alice smiled slightly and sat down as well. Rosalie spun around and strutted out of the room, a worried Emmett following her. Edward sat down.

"She's going to be angry for a while, but she'll warm up to Bella," Alice reassured Carlisle, who was running agitated hands through his long blonde hair.

* * *

I sighed as Alice stroked my hair gently; we sat on the couch with my head in her lap. Rosalie and Emmett still hadn't shown up, neither had Edward. At least we knew where he was—watching Bella sleep, as always. I met eyes with Alice and she smiled.

"Emmett's trying to calm Rosalie down," she said. "She's really angry, which, as usual, makes him angry. They're having a tough time. Want to try to calm them down?"

"Do you want me to be eaten?" I joked, winking at Alice. She laughed and then her eyes glazed over.

"They're better," my wife announced when he eyes were brought back into the present. "Or, at most, Rosalie's decent." She laughed and twisted one of my curls around her finger. I frowned. It was very strange, even for Alice, to be taking this situation so lightly. She grew serious when she saw my look. "Everything's going to be fine. The Volturi will never bother us because I _believe_ Bella will be a vampire by then. Problem solved. Now, come, my swain, and let's get dressed for the next day." I smiled at her as I sat up, allowing her to get up and tow me to our closet.

* * *

Alice sighed while we all played with our food.

"I wish you could come with me," Alice sighed again and I smiled.

"Darling, I'd just kill Edward's mood," I grimaced. Edward and I hadn't exactly been on proper terms lately ever since Bel—Isabella found out what we really were. Emmett sighed, too, and put his chin in his hands.

"Is it just me, or is it exceptionally boring today?" he asked. I shrugged.

"She's going to look this way in four seconds," Alice muttered absentmindedly.

"It's not like we really need to act like we're human anymore when she's looking, Alice," Emmett snickered and Rosalie hissed.

Everyone's mood darkened when I tried to stay away from her anger, pushing it away from me and to everyone else. I quickly caught my mistake and pulled the emotion back in. I studied the wall, feeling Isabella's fear ripple through the air. I quickly glanced around the table, seeing Rosalie glaring daggers at the poor girl. Edward's anger flared up as well and I clenched my hands into fists.

I needed to hunt again, and having to resist my thirst was harder than usual and I couldn't concentrate on putting up an emotional barrier…just in case. Edward hissed at Rosalie and she immediately looked away. I looked down at the table, listening to Edward explain to Bella about the situation our family was in. Alice smiled as she got up from the table and danced over to where Edward was.

"Goodbye, Jasper," she whispered too low for a human to hear. I winked at her halfheartedly before she walked out of the room. I felt the natural sadness I had when Alice left me, even if it was to go into a different room. Call me clingy, but I don't like to be away from her. She still gives me that hope each and every day ever since we met in the diner to continue with this new life I am leading.

"Jazz, hunting and a lil' wrestling tonight?" Emmett offered and I shrugged.

"Why not?" I agreed and Emmett pumped his fist.

* * *

Alice danced into our room and hopped on top of me. I smiled. She was back home, finally.

"How are you?" she asked and I shut my book, pushing it aside.

"Fine," I said. "Emmett and I hunted."

"I saw. I was thinking of dragging Edward over to join you two, but he all but snapped my head off." Alice laughed. "He's been very frantic lately about what I've been seeing him do tomorrow."

"What's important about tomorrow?" I questioned.

"He's taking Bella deep into the forest to talk…and show her what we do in the sun," she rushed the last part out, hoping I didn't get angry with her.

"Oh," I shrugged. I had finally come to the resolve that there was nothing I could truly do to stop Edward from falling in love with Bella and telling her everything about vampires, though I still wasn't comfortable with it. "How's Bella going to take it?"

Alice beamed and laughed as I stared at her, confused. I wasn't unhappy with her happiness; I just wanted to know the cause of it.

"You said her nickname!" Alice squealed and I smirked.

"I guess it's inevitable now, huh?" I questioned as Alice nodded.

"She's going to be just fine. If I'm not mistaken…and don't tell Edward this…but I believe that they're going to kiss." Alice smiled as if she was saying the world was free of conflict and war, but no, she was really talking about my brother…kissing a human girl whom he found highly appetizing.

I frowned. Part of me was worried about his and the girl's safety, and the other part was raging. _How could he have just gone and done the impossible, leaving you sticking out like a sore thumb in the family? There's no way you could possibly be strong now._

Alice sighed, knowing just what I was thinking of. "Jazz, you're being insane. If you keep thinking like that, you'll just make yourself…feel even weaker and won't go through with the diet. I would know. I can see the future."

I looked away from her eyes, studying the pattern on the chair. Alice put her hand on my chin and forced my gaze to meet hers.

"I love you," she said seriously, looking into my eyes. "And nothing could _ever_ change that."

"I know," I sighed and Alice kissed my forehead. "And I love you more than anything." She pulled away and still looked worried, but shook it off, looking as confident as she usually did.

* * *

Edward was waiting to go to Bella's house and watch her sleep. It was a rare moment for us—not only to have Edward home for once, but for us 'brothers' to do some bonding. Carlisle was working late tonight to cover for the Saturday that was going to be sunny and Esme had gone with Rosalie and Alice to do some shopping. We were all sitting in the living room: Edward at his piano, playing, Emmett on the couch, watching TV, and I was on the rocking chair, reading.

I sighed, ripping a page when Edward's irritation pounded upon me. Strange. He usually was more in control of his emotions lately and I had let my barrier down. I quickly built it back up, not really wanting to ruin the peaceful calm I had entered.

Much better. Edward wasn't, though and he pounded harder and harder on the keys; I was afraid he would break the poor thing if he wasn't careful. Anger and frustration crashed through my emotional barrier and the covers of my book snapped between my fingers.

"Edward, cool it!" Emmett exclaimed, glancing from him to me and back again. Edward seemed to have gone deaf, and threw his whole arms into the playing, cracking the piano. He'd need to take it to the shop now, or, if the damage was far too much, buy a new one. Alice would help him with that.

Emmett and I were instantly on out feet, holding our brother back from doing anymore destruction. What was going on? Edward was in some sort of meltdown, obviously, but the real question was, what, or who, was causing this emotional breakdown?

"Are you okay?" Emmett asked and I snorted halfheartedly. Clearly, Edward was not okay. He didn't answer.

"I believe, Emmett," I corrected, "the question truly is, 'what's wrong'?"

"Everything," Edward sighed eventually as we sat him down on the couch.

"'Everything' as in…" I pressed.

"Everything as in my whole life!" Edward exploded, running a distressed hand through his hair. "Just because of one girl entering center stage in my interests, my whole existence is turned upside down!"

I smiled sympathetically, nodding. Emmet and I exchanged a knowing glance. Our brother had _finally_ fallen in love.

"Edward, we've both been in that position," I said, and Emmett nodded, clapping Edward's shoulder.

"Your whole view of the world is changed," Emmett agreed.

"But there's nothing to be afraid of," I said, holding back a grin. "It's just love."

"Our little Edward's all grown up," Emmett cooed before we both burst out laughing. Edward was not amused, and the angry little pout he had on only made us laugh harder. When we were done, Edward studied the floor, embarrassed.

"What was it like, to fall in love?" he asked and I elbowed Emmett in the ribs, feeling his amusement rise to the point he would burst into laughter. I sent a wave of calm to him as well, enforcing that the conversation was now going to be serious.

"Well, it's funny you should ask, because Rose and I would've had our first kiss by now. Get a move on, buddy," Emmett said honestly. Edward grimaced and I shook my head. Rosalie and Emmett had fallen in love fast unlike Edward and Bella and Alice and me.

"Maybe Emmett's not the best example." I grinned as Emmett socked my on the shoulder. "No offense. I was like you, Edward—though maybe a little worse. I didn't believe love was possible. You've lived your whole immortal life with compassionate vampires falling in love. You know it's possible. I didn't. But, you fell in love with a human. I didn't. So, we're even, I guess. I went through the same stages as you. Trust me; everything just gets easier right when you say 'I am in love'. Just a downhill coast from there."

"But you fell in love with someone of your own species!" Edward said. "You don't know how fragile Bella is! I can hurt her just by touching her!"

"You don't know how careful I am with Alice," I said calmly, though I put force and emotion into my words. "Don't you see the size difference? I'm nearly two feet taller. I know how you feel, and not just because of my power."

"But Alice doesn't smell as tantalizing as Bella!" Edward disputed. Boy, he was being stubborn today. "You _don't_ understand, no matter how much you think you do. You don't know how—" he instantly silenced himself. I knew that he was going to say how scared he was of hurting Bella and that he shouldn't fall in love with her, and he was afraid to admit it because we always ribbed him a lot when he mentioned his feelings.

"Edward, look at me," I demanded quietly. He did as he was told. "I was scared as well. Strange emotions were erupting inside of me and it didn't help that I had been…abused in that area of emotions. Everything's going to be okay." I tried blocking my thoughts of how I still wanted to be the stronger one, and him the weaker, by thinking of Alice. Edward had heard, though. He nodded, understanding. Thankfully, he also knew I didn't want to discuss this topic.

"Have you guys ever…you know, found a human that smelt as good to you as Bella does to me?" Edward asked, changing the subject.

_Thanks,_ I whispered to him in my mind. He made no move to show he'd heard me, but I knew he had.

"Yeah," Emmett said, eyeing me curiously. I put on my best innocent expression and gave him some distracted emotions. "Twice, I believe. One was stronger than the other…they didn't end well, of course." Edward nodded gravely and motioned for me to speak.

"I'm not sure…" I pursed my lips. "They all…kind of smell the same." I hung my head, ashamed of myself. "I may have come across some before 1948, but I was exactly, you know, _civil_ then."

The girls arrived home then and Emmett left to help Rose out in the garage. Edward put his hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you," Edward said and I nodded, smiling at him.

"I got you some shirts," she announced and I rolled my eyes.

"Why am I not surprised?" I teased and Alice stuck her tongue out at me. I gasped in mock horror (the pride was still radiating from me from the discussion I had with Edward. It had made me feel . . . stronger . . . mightier). "How dare you stick your tongue out at your husband?" Alice smacked my shoulder, giggling. "That's it. I'm getting the divorce papers." I growled before slinging Alice over my shoulder and running upstairs.

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**Hit or miss? Reviews will make the next chapter come up ASAP!**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)  
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	6. Chapter 6: Bella

**A/N: Okay guys, I haven't gotten this beta'd yet, but as soon as it is, I will repost this chapter with the better version of it. I am not going to be able to update as often as I thought, because I'm doing NaNoWriMo next month. That will practically eat all my spare time up. Read on.**

**_Disclaimer: I am so, so, so, so, SO tired right now so I don't want to come up with a witty and cheesy disclaimer. So, nothing I own in here is mine._**

**Edit: This is edited now. Feel free to reread if you want, though not much was changed. :)_  
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Chapter Six: Bella**

"Edward wants me to stay close to him just so I can stop him if things go . . . differently than expected," Alice explained. "Would you care to join me?"

"Of course, my dear," I said and flitted to her side before we ran out of the house and into the forest. "Where are we going exactly?"

"You'll see," Alice said. "I offered it to Edward because I would know exactly where it was, even though I would know wherever he was going." She winked at me before running faster. I shook my head and picked up my pace to match hers.

We soon ran into a familiar clearing with flowers and grass sprouting between the roots of trees. I gasped as Alice waltzed into the sunshine and sat herself down in the center. There was still a faint scent of both of us from the last time we had visited. That visit was one I tried to keep in my memory, even though it hurt to do so.

It was quite the bittersweet memory, for I had had another 'hunting mishap', as Alice would call it. In truth, it was the first time I had killed a human since I met the Cullens-the summer of 1950. Alice and I had been married for only a few months, and hadn't hunted for one week due to…other preoccupations. I had made the mistake of coming with Alice to shop for new clothes in a distance city. It was too much for me to handle and I…lost control, I guess. I was so upset; I just ran and ran out of the state, with Alice following me the whole time. I eventually broke down right in this meadow. Alice had comforted me here.

I ran over and sat right next to Alice, pulling her into my lap and giving her a kiss.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Alice breathed, sweeping her hand down and around the grass. "Just the same as fifty-five years ago." I grunted in agreement, laying us down and gave Alice another kiss.

"Does Edward know what exactly happened here?" I questioned and Alice smiled against my lips.

"No; I blocked my thoughts," she laughed and kissed me this time, her fingers knotted into my hair and I held the small of her back, pulling her closer to me. Suddenly, Alice jumped, breaking the kiss and beaming at me.

"They're coming!" she squealed and ran out of the clearing. I sighed, shaking my head, before following her. "He doesn't want us too close…because he's being an idiot and worrying about you being too close to Bella." I tried to hide the pain that came with hearing that statement. Alice saw through my mask. "He's just paranoid, Jazz. Love can make you a jerk sometimes. We should stay right about…here. Perfect." Alice smiled triumphantly at me, leaning against a tree.

I sat down on the forest floor, looking up at my beautiful wife and wondering yet again how I deserved her. I finally gave in, knowing that I deserved her because she was the one who kept me alive.

"What's Bella like?" I asked Alice and she grinned, hopping down onto the floor next to me. She lay down on her stomach, crossing and uncrossing her feet over and over.

"She's really clumsy," she gushed and I found myself smiling at her enthusiasm. "Um, she doesn't like anybody to get her anything, like presents, you know? She's going to have to break that habit because she's in for a rude awakening when Edward allows us to talk to her…" Alice continued rambling on and on and I couldn't help but notice my mood sinking down.

Alice kept on repeating the phrases 'when Bella is one of us' and 'when Bella will be one of us.' I still didn't like that idea quite yet. What if Bella causes our whole family to be put in danger?

I shook my darkening thoughts away and continued to listen to Alice go on and on. She was very pleased with how this family was getting a new change-'a brighter change', as she called it.

"Oh!" Alice gasped and we were both instantly on our feet. "He's losing control of himself. We have to help him, Jazz." I bit my lip before nodding; ignoring the part of me that was screaming to let Edward kill the girl, let him become the weakling. We ran a little bit before the clearing in time to here Edward loose a bit of his restraint.

"As if you could fight me off," he exclaimed and Alice looked at me pointedly. I closed my eyes and focused quickly on calming thoughts. Times when Alice and I would just sit in our room and listen to the gentle patter of rain on the ceiling. Days when Alice would fiddle with my hair while I read a good book. I transferred all of that to Edward and he calmed down, realizing what he was doing.

"Thanks," he whispered under his breath so Bella couldn't hear him. I jerked my head towards the direction we had come from and raised an eyebrow. Alice nodded and we took hands before running silently away from Edward and Bella.

* * *

Edward and Bella were leaving the meadow so Alice and I took that as our cue to leave the meadow as well. She was absolutely ecstatic—Edward has kissed Bella and she had _seen_ it. Well, not really. She had seen it in the future, and I wouldn't let her try to get closer to see them kiss. "Edward will have enough on his mind," I had told her. She just pouted.

We were now running home. Or, in Alice's case, frolicking. When we got inside, I had to sedate Alice so we wouldn't cause Rosalie to have another fit.

"Jasper," Alice said, sitting peacefully on our couch. "Why did you do that?" I suppose she was angry, even though she was speaking in an alluring whisper. I immediately took my calm front off her and she was bouncing in her seat.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I didn't want Rosalie to have a temper tantrum."

Alice just laughed before saying, "Come in." Esme opened the door, smiling apologetically and slightly shocked. Even though we'd lived here for fifty-five years, everyone still wasn't quite used to Alice knowing their actions ahead of time.

"Sorry to interrupt," Esme said as I pulled a chair out for her to sit in. She smiled thankfully to me and sat down. "But I was very curious as to where you guys were. I believe you went somewhere for Edward?"

"Yes," Alice beamed. "You know about Edward taking Bella to the meadow and such. Edward wanted us around just in case he lost control or something. And you'll never guess what happened . . . they kissed!"

They both broke out into giggles and squeals and gossiped like…well, like mother and daughter, or course. I didn't really want to ruin it by 'making some comment only a guy would make' (as Alice put it), so I quietly walked out of our room and went downstairs to watch TV with Emmett.

* * *

Edward came home at about one in the morning and I had to practically hold Alice back as she pestered him about Bella.

"Jasper, control your wife," Edward grumbled as he walked down the stairs.

"I'm glad you're home," I retaliated. "Alice was going to blow up if you hadn't have arrived when you did."

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm curious!" Alice defended herself as we walked into the living room.

"I'm sure you already know that Bella's coming to the house today," Edward growled and everyone else suddenly appeared.

"What a lovely surprise."

"Oh, Edward that's wonderful!"

"Aweso—oh, come on, Rose don't be like that! Come back, baby."

"I did know, but I just wanted to hear you say it."

"Huh?" I asked at the same time as everyone else.

"Yeah, I, uh, invited Bella over to come and visit," Edward explained sheepishly. "And I'd like all of you to be on your best _human_ behavior. I don't want to scare her, even though she's been exceptionally calm on the subject of us being vampires. That means no moving at faster-than-human speeds, no hissing or snarling, and no using your powers." Edward glared at Alice and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Your words won't stop me from doing what _I _want," she argued, folding her arms across her chest.

"Alice, please respect Edward's wishes," Esme said. Alice rolled her eyes and sighed, nodding her head. Something told me she wasn't going to listen. Be it my empathy or my love for her, I knew she was going to rebel from Edward's rules.

"Jasper," Edward started, looking at me, "I'd like you to hunt tonight and try to keep your distance from Bella whenever she's over at the house. She knows about your difficulties with the diet and I don't want you to scare her. No chances are going to be taken."

I nodded stiffly, picturing Alice in my head, swirling around and around in the snow. She had never seen snow when we had first gotten to the Cullens' house, and when it snowed, she was overjoyed by it. All she would do was smile and giggle while swirling around and around, the snowflakes showing up exceptionally in her black hair. Soon, we had gotten into a small snowball fight that ended in me being dunked in a heap of snow shaken from a tree by Alice. How I loved her!

Edward had moved on from warning me about staying away from Bella. I had used my power to help him from realizing I was blocking my thoughts. I didn't want him to know how much he had bothered me. I kept a natural calm emanating around the room before exiting quietly. Alice noticed me leave instantly and followed me. I turned my back on her, not wanting my wife to see my bottom lip trembling.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked as I walked out the front door and ran into the forest.

"To hunt," I said dryly, hurt creeping into my voice. "What else would weak, old Jasper be doing?" Alice swore behind me, cursing Edward.

"Jazz, I really don't think he meant to hurt you," Alice said, picking up her pace to keep up with me.

"Yeah, but Jasper's just too weak and sensitive that everything causes him pain!" I exclaimed my voice full of pain.

"I hate it when you act like this!" Alice shouted back. I stopped dead in my tracks. This was the first time she had _ever_ yelled at me. Alice was in front of me now, taking a deep breath and calming herself down. "I hate it whenever you say that this life is too much for you, or that you'll _never_ have good self-restraint. It makes me feel terrible for even bringing you into this family because you're suffering _every day_. I suffer, too, because you do."

"Alice I—" I started but Alice cut me off.

"No, I'm sorry," Alice said. "I am here to give you support, not break you down. I just lost my cool there." I raised an eyebrow at her expression. She shrugged. "The twenty-first century's catching onto me."

"Alice, I-I had no idea—"

"No, no," Alice shook her head. "I'm sorry I ever brought it up. Let's just forget about it."

I shook my head and held my left hand up, pointing to the silver band around my ring finger.

"You're wearing it?" Alice breathed in shock.

When we had gotten into school, we couldn't wear our wedding rings or people could suspect certain things. Alice and I really didn't mind—we didn't need a ring to show our love for each other. Yet, I still found myself wearing my ring whenever we weren't in public. It was a comfort, of sorts, to me. It always made me remember that Alice _did_ truly think I deserved her and that she would always stand by my side no matter what.

"I always wear it whenever we're not in public," I quickly explained. "This"—I pointed at my ring again—"is the symbol of how we chose to be a team forever. Whatever happens, we do this as _one_, not two individuals, Alice."

"You're right," Alice murmured, looking at the forest floor. "But, you have to promise me you won't go around blaming yourself for my pain."

I nodded hesitantly. If she said that, it'll probably be my fault. How am I not supposed to blame myself, then?

Alice bit her lip, and I felt her regret.

"You never have to keep secrets from me, Alice," I encouraged her. "I'll understand anything."

"I don't like to see you in pain all the time," Alice finally blurted out. "It makes me feel like I did something wrong by bringing you to the Cullens. This life was supposed to be better than your other one, but it seems it's just the same, if not worse."

I was already shaking my head. How could she ever feel like this and not express it to me? How could I not even feel her lack of confidence?

"Alice, you've changed my life into a completely blissful one. I _never_ want you to ever regret giving me this. I'm sorry if I'm not appreciative enough of this life or you. If you want to leave me right now—" I said before Alice's finger pressed against my lips, silencing me. She pulled my face down to her level before kissing me.

"You-are-absolutely-perfect." Alice said in between pecks, "and-I'll-never-_ever_-leave-you." She gave me one last, tender kiss and kept her forehead pressed to mine when she pulled away. Alice was smiling . . . sort of. It was a bittersweet moment so her smile didn't reach her eyes fully.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you," Alice whispered, gazing into my eyes with all the love she could muster. "Don't worry—I'm not going anywhere unless you're there." I kissed her gently, picking her up so I didn't have to crouch down so awkwardly.

"It's okay, darling," I smiled as well. "Shall we hunt?"

"Of course."

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**A/N: Okay, so I read this to just make sure I didn't have too much icky parts in my writing. But I'm nearly dead right now so if I missed any, just send me a pm and give me the sentence I messed up in. (I got it edited, so it's all good now) Did you like it? Please review!**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Our Guest

**A/N: Sorry! I didn't mean to post this so late, but I lost track of time in planning and my beta hasn't gotten this to me yet. I decided to post it like last time and then update it with the edited version later. I wanted to get this house before November, because I will be extremely busy at that time. But, I'm NOT going on haitus and I'm NOT going to disappear on you guys. Too many fanfiction authors do that, and I am refusing to be one of them! Happy Halloween everybody!**

**EDIT: UPDATED WITH EDITED VERSION. THANK YOU LIPSTICKLETTER!  
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**_Disclaimer: Though I will probably see many vampires walking around from door to door tonight, none of them are mine, which means none of them are Stephenie Meyer's. I own nothing!_**

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Chapter Seven: Our Guest**

"She's here! She's here! She's here!" Alice bounced up and down on our bed. I caught her in my arms before her vampire strength could break through the floor, causing both of us—and our bed—to fall on top of Edward's piano.

"Shh, Alice," I chuckled. "Edward requested us to wait, mainly because he knew you'd be this hyper." Alice stuck her tongue out at me, adding onto her childish behavior. "Now, he'll cue us in soon, and he expects us to be—"

"Where are Alice and Jasper?" Edward's voice sounded from downstairs and Alice was suddenly gone.

"Calm," I finished to no one before running to the top of the staircase, seeing my wife kiss Bella on the cheek. I stifled a gasp. How could she get that close to a human?

"You do smell nice, I never noticed before," Alice exclaimed, shocking and embarrassing everyone.

Oh, Alice . . . now I have to go in and fix everything. After gulping a large breath to hold, I strolled down the stairs at a slightly quick human pace, spreading calmness and comfort to Bella and allowing it to ooze over to the other members of my family. Edward raised an eyebrow at me.

_It was for the best_, I thought to him, _Alice _can _be a little strong occasionally._

"Hello, Bella," I said, staying at the bottom of the stairs. I didn't move to shake her hand or greet her in anyway beside verbally—like Edward had wanted. I smiled warmly at the girl, hoping she wouldn't find my behavior rude or frightening.

"Hello, Jasper," Bella smiled shyly and looked at the others. "It's nice to meet you all—you have a very beautiful home."

"Thank you," Esme's happiness soared. "We're so glad that you came." I agree. Most humans would come here even though they _didn't_ know we were vampires.

Edward and Carlisle were having a silent conversation as Bella politely studied Edward's piano. The silence was awkward, especially since I could feel everyone's take on it. Finally, Esme broke the ice.

"Do you play?" she inclined her head to the piano.

"Not at all," Bella shook her head. "But it's so beautiful. Is it yours?"

"No. Edward didn't tell you he was musical?"

"No," Bella glared at Edward, who was trying to look innocent. "I should have known, I guess."

When Esme raised her eyebrows in confusion, Bella elaborated.

"Edward can do everything, right?"

I snickered, unable to control myself. Now I had lost all of my air and couldn't talk whatsoever. Edward sure did _believe_ he could do everything. I personally blame the mind reading for his conceited thought.

"I hope you haven't been showing off—it's rude," Esme scolded Edward.

"Just a bit," Edward laughed and Esme's pride overpowered every other emotion in the room. They shared a look, Esme smiling smugly.

"He's been too modest, actually," Bella corrected.

"Well, play for her," Esme ordered.

"You just said showing off was rude," Edward protested.

"There are exceptions to every rule."

"I'd like to hear you play," Bella said, sealing the deal. I don't really know what happened with him, but he seemed reluctant to play for Bella.

"It's settled, then." Esme pushed Edward over to the piano. He pulled Bella along and sat her down on the bench next to him. Alice walked over to me, locking her arm with mine. I tilted my head upstairs, suggesting we should give them some privacy.

Alice huffed, but nodded, and we flew off to where Emmett and Rosalie were just entering. They had returned from a hunting trip. I quickly filled my lungs with some nice, nearly clean air. Amazingly, it wasn't that bad. Sure, I hadn't really gotten close to Bella whatsoever and didn't dare even take a breath so I could nearly be numb, but I hadn't _suffered_. And that thought had put me in a very bright mood.

"Emmett, tonight there'll be a thunder storm," Alice suddenly announced and Emmett pumped his fist. My elation increased. I had played baseball when I was a human (especially to kill free time in the Civil War) and I had gotten pretty good at it. Playing baseball with my family was always something I looked forward to.

"Finally! That rematch!" he exclaimed and I smirked. "You're goin' down, pixie!"

I laughed as Alice glared at Emmett. Last time we had played with Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle on one side and Alice, Edward, and I on the other. We had _creamed_ them and Emmett had been wanting a rematch just because we were the "special ones"—the ones with powers that could enhance our ability of playing. He claimed it was unfair and had demanded a rematch. Until today, there had been no thunderstorms and Emmett was completely ticked off.

"No way," she snapped back and they glared at each other intensely (playfully, of course), Alice standing on her toes and Emmett leaning down so their faces were close to each other.

"Okay, break it up you two," I said, putting my hands on Emmett's and Alice's shoulders, forcing them away from each other.

My mood darkened suddenly when Rosalie's emotions got to me.

"The human's here?" she asked through her teeth.

"Rose, you knew that she was coming over," Emmett sighed, rubbing one of her shoulders. Rosalie relaxed only slightly at his touch.

"Come on, I don't want to be here with this _scent _in the house much longer," Rosalie said, taking Emmett's hand and walking him to the window they had come from. Emmett glanced at us over his shoulder, mouthing his apology to us. I nodded, smiling knowingly and sent him a wave of understanding, hoping he'd get the message. By the way he slightly smiled before jumping out the window and into the forest, I knew he had gotten it.

Alice walked off and I quickly followed her, knowing that she wanted to lead me somewhere. She opened the door and walked right into our room.

"Isn't Bella wonderful?" Alice squealed as I sat down in my armchair.

"Um, I guess," I shrugged and Alice scoffed, offended. I defended myself, "Alice, she's only spoken two words to me."

"I guess you're right," Alice sighed and I smiled. She hated being wrong when _I_ was right and I hated being wrong when _she_ was right. It was a natural friendly competition we had made up one day a couple of decades ago. We both liked being right, so things were bound to come up like that one time.

"I'm sorry," I said, grinning wider. "I didn't hear that. Can you say it louder?"

Alice growled playfully at me, hoping onto my lap and mussing my hair.

"Hmm . . . you are an old man so I guess you'd be hard of hearing," she retaliated.

"You're a year older than me," I countered.

"I _look_ nineteen and you _look_ eighteen," Alice corrected. "You're really fifty-seven years older than me."

"Oh yeah, well—" Before I could say my comeback, I heard a big bang and Alice hopped off my lap, running straight towards Edward's room. I followed. Had something happened? No, the emotions were too calm and playful for Edward to be losing focus or hurting Bella.

Edward was laughing as Alice and I stood in the doorway. Edward was somewhat on top of Bella on his couch. He adjusted himself so she was sitting in his lap.

"Can we come in?" Alice asked, and I felt her happiness rise to dangerous levels. Bella blushed and venom flooded into my mouth. I had forgotten to take my breath before entering this room. I swallowed, glancing at Edward swiftly. He seemed to understand.

"Go ahead," Edward chuckled and Alice danced into the room. I paused at the door, staring at Edward a little bit more and realizing how _close_ he was to Bella. Even _I _couldn't get that close to her without killing her instantly. I deliberately took a breath in, trying to embrace the burn and enjoy myself. We had company, after all.

"It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share," Alice said and I sent a wave of warning to her, feeling Bella's fear rise. Edward didn't seem fazed by her reaction at all, and smiled encouragingly at Bella.

"Sorry, I don't believe I have enough to spare," he said, holding Bella tighter to him. Edward's, Bella's, and Alice's joy and happiness had spread infectiously to me, and I smiled before walking into Edward's room.

"Actually," I said, "Alice says there's going to be a real storm tonight, and Emmett wants to play ball. Are you game?" Edward's eyes lit up and his excitement filled the room before going hesitant.

"Of course you should bring Bella," Alice chirped. I threw her a look, keeping it from Bella's eyes. It's not that I didn't _want_ her to come; it's just that baseball is where we all cut loose. I'm not very sure if Bella would want to be in the clearing with me having less control.

"Do you want to go?" Edward urged Bella, his enthusiasm bouncing back up.

"Sure," Bella said. "Um, where are we going?"

"We have to wait for thunder to play ball—you'll see why."

"Will I need an umbrella?"

We all laughed out loud, but I stopped abruptly. I was taking this too far. She was a human, not a member of the family. We don't laugh at humans, or get any close to them.

"Will she?" I asked Alice.

"No. The storm will hit over town. It should be dry enough in the clearing." Alice was positive.

"Good, then," I grinned, letting my eagerness spread throughout the room.

"Let's go see if Carlisle will come." Alice bounded to the door and I followed.

"Like you don't know," I teased her, closing the door behind us. Alice winked and danced down the hall to Carlisle's room. She knocked once on his door and allowed herself in, what was behind the door.

"What can we do for you, Alice?" Carlisle asked as Alice jumped onto their bed. Esme smiled and went to sit next to her. I stayed standing, smiling at everyone.

"There's going to be a big storm tonight and Emmett, Jazz, Edward, and I all want to play ball," Alice squealed. "We were hoping that you would like to join us. Edward invited Bella as well."

"We'd love to come, Alice," Esme smiled, her love rising when Bella's name was mentioned.

"It's about time we've done some good old family bonding," Carlisle chimed in, nodding.

"Perfect," Alice grinned and hopped off the bed. This was going to be an interesting night.

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**A/N: Did you like it? Sorry, I sorta ended with a cliffy, but that's what I love to do. ;) Thanks for reading, and I'd be extra-happy if you left me a lil' review, too. ^^**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Baseball

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out! I kind of lost track of time and forgot to send this in to my beta earlier. ^^ Everyone makes mistakes, I guess. And NaNoWriMo has driven me insane, and trying to balance writing 50,000 words of original fiction with fanfiction is REALLY difficult, especially since I'm super busy. Anywho, enough with the lame excuses on why I'm a terrible author. Let's move on!**

**_Disclaimer: I own some other characters, not these ones. So anything you recognize in here is not mine. I own nothing!_  
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Chapter Eight: Baseball**

Alice hurled a curveball at me and I caught it, sighing lethargically. This was too easy for us. I grinned mischievously and changed my mind at the last minute on how I would throw it to Alice. She was taken by surprise and did a cartwheel before sitting down and catching it. Alice faked a yawn and I winked at her. She hurled the ball back at me. I flipped backwards and caught it while Alice shook her head, giggling.

A bout of Edward's laughter echoed through the clearing and I gave Alice a puzzled look.

"They're coming," she explained. "He wants us to be a little more human now."

I threw the ball back at Alice and she caught it, instantly throwing it back. We continued likes this for a while before Alice decided to run up to Bella talk to her.

"It's time," she announced and thunder boomed off in the distance.

"Eerie, isn't it?" Emmett remarked before Alice grabbed his hand.

"Let's go." They ran back to the field.

"Different teams," Carlisle ordered.

"Oh, come _on_," Alice and Emmett whined in unison. I chuckled and stroked Alice's arm comfortingly.

"Jasper, Edward," Carlisle, said, ignoring the rather immature whining. "Pick your players."

"Alice," Edward announced before I could even glance at him.

"Emmett," I grimaced and Emmett pumped his fist. He was happy he was still playing against Alice.

"Carlisle," Edward said.

"Rosalie."

"Good. Everything's sorted," Carlisle said and we got into position. Alice winked at me as I crouched down to catch. Esme and Bella approached the field and I held my breath, taking extra precautions before Esme announced the start of the game.

"All right," she called out. "Batter up."

Alice stood straight and I tried to recognize what she did before she threw the ball, just to help Emmett out a little. I was very competitive.

"Now!" I whispered to Emmett a moment too late—the ball was already in my hand.

"Was that a strike?" Bella whispered to Esme and I chuckled under my breath.

"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," Esme explained and I hurled the ball back to Alice. She smiled before getting ready to pitch again.

"Now!" I whispered on time.

Emmett hit the ball way out into the forest. I sighed, knowing he'd get out. Emmett needed to learn that you didn't _have_ to hit the ball as hard as possible to win—there was strategy in every game.

"Home run," Bella murmured. Ha, I wish.

"Wait," Esme said, knowing Emmett didn't stand a chance.

I heard Edward catch the ball and sighed.

"Out!" Esme called out. She turned to Bella and explained. "Emmett hits the hardest, but Edward runs the fastest."

As the inning continued, I enjoyed feeling Bella's awe and total astonishment at how we played. I never found any of our differences to humans remarkable, but Bella seemed to find it the most amazing thing.

Soon, I was up to bat. Hopefully, Emmett would watch and pay attention to how I kept the ball away from Edward, and hit it towards Carlisle as we both raced each other to first base. My legs were longer then his and I touched base before slamming into Carlisle with a loud crash.

"Ha, I'm safe, old man," I chided and Carlisle gave me a shove, laughing. Bella's concern spiked up before dying down as we both got up.

We continued playing before Edward caught the third out. He quickly dashed to Bella's side and started talking with her as I stood at the pitcher's mound, ready to throw the ball.

"I'm up," Edward called out before stepping up to bat. I tried to not think about pitching until I quickly threw Edward a screwball. He knew what I was doing, having heard my thoughts prior to the throw. He hit towards Emmett, who took a frustratingly long time to get the ball back in play.

Soon Carlisle hit the ball so hard it brought Edward and him to home, with Alice cheering the whole time.

The game was like any other one—the score kept changing, constantly we were ribbing each other. I stood completely still, trying to think of what to throw to Carlisle (I didn't want him to get another homerun) before Alice gasped. Everything that ever had any meaning to me whatsoever seemed to shatter inside my heart and the baseball slipped out of my hand, landing on the grass with a _thud_.

"Alice?" Esme whispered as I ran straight up to my love, nothing else fully registering in my head.

"I didn't see—I couldn't tell," Alice whimpered. Everyone else was gather around her now, worried. "They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the wrong perspective before."

My wife's eyes met mine and I instantly knew what she was talking about.

_The nomadic vampires I saw a while ago . . . they seem to have changed their course._

Alice had casually mentioned here and there that some new vampires would be passing through Forks, but none of us were too worried about it. Unwarranted vampires came through town occasionally, and they never truly did any harm.

"What changed?" I asked, leaning over Alice. No one would get within touching distance of her as long as I was here.

"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," she said, holding herself responsible.

_It's not your fault._

_Jasper, don't be an idiot. If only I had seen the obvious—_

_No, you did nothing wrong. Don't think like that. None of us hold you responsible for this._

"How soon?" Carlisle interrupted our silent conversation.

"Less than five minutes," Edward announced. "They're running—they want to play."

My hands balled into fists and I fought back a snarl. They would never get a glimpse of Alice if I could help it.

"Can you make it?" Carlisle asked.

"No, not carrying—" Edward cut short. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."

"How many?" Emmett asked.

"Three," Alice said concisely.

"Three!" Emmett scoffed and I rolled my eyes. Now was not the time to get cocky. "Let them come."

We all ignored Emmett and focused on Carlisle, who was deliberating what to do.

"Let's just continue the game," he said, his voice collected. "Alice said they were simply curious."

"Are they thirsty?" Esme asked, so quickly there was no way Bella could detect what she was saying. I wasn't even sure if she could understand us at all—we were so confused no one really thought about keeping a human persona. Edward shook his head and relief flowed from everyone.

"You catch, Esme," Edward said gravely. "I'll call it now."

He planted himself in front of Bella and we all went back to the field. My eyes scanned the dark forest around us, seeing nothing, but knowing something was out there, just waiting to find us.

I absentmindedly picked the ball up and twirled it around a few times before getting ready to throw an easy ball to Carlisle. Alice took a few steps closer to Bella, her eyes worried and pained. I stared at her one more second before hearing something. The nomads were close.

"Take your hair down," Edward murmured to Bella, keeping his voice calm so to not frighten her.

Bella did as she was told before saying, "The others are coming now."

She knew about these vampires? I looked quickly at Alice who was practically shrinking in shame. I sighed. She blamed herself for all of this. I made eye contact with her, hoping she knew that no one blamed her for it. She smiled halfheartedly and looked down at the ground.

"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please," Edward ordered to Bella before pulling her long hair forward and around her neck and face.

"That won't help," Alice muttered. "I could smell her from across the field."

Really? She could smell her? I hadn't even thought about Bella's blood the whole time we were playing. Although I had great news to smile about, this wasn't the time.

We continued playing, though none of us really enjoyed it whatsoever. I kept eyeing the forest around me, inching closer to the outfield, just to be the one they go to attack first. I could take them. Alice's soft, quick intake of breath happened right before I could hear the vampires clearer. They were talking freely and running fast.

We all turned, ready for anything. I met Alice's eyes and she nodded, reassuring me that they wouldn't (possibly) attack. My eyes narrowed in the direction of the footsteps that were increasing in volume.

One by one, they entered the clearing. There were two men and one woman. It was easy to tell who the leader was. I kept a close eye on him specifically.

"Jasper, Emmett, if you would," Carlisle whispered quietly. He and I made eye contact and I knew I'd be a key piece in keeping this just a casual conversation. No one wanted a full-on fight in front of a human. I might not even be able to control myself then.

I took a deep breath in, feeling Bella's scent hit the back of my throat. Ignoring the burn as much as possible, I thought about the most peaceful memories of my life, all of them containing Alice. I remembered our first dance at prom, how we had to sit out of most of it. The fast heartbeats were too much for me, but I had to steal a slow dance with my wife. It was the least I could do. She had made the thirst disappear for the first time that night.

The new serenity that washed over me nearly made me smile. Instead, I let it roll off me and to the nomads, even some of my family.

The beta stepped toward Carlisle, smiling.

"We thought we heard a game," he said and I detected a French accent in his voice. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James." He gestured to his companions.

"I'm Carlisle," Carlisle answered, matching Laurent's friendly tone. "This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme, and Alice, Edward and Bella." He pointed each of us out, paired up with a partner and making sure no one was singled out.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked and I had to force the anger to stay inside me, picturing Alice and I dancing.

"Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"

"We're headed north, but we were curious to see who was in the area. We haven't ran into any company in a long time."

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."

I spread the calm farther out, reaching Bella and Edward, whose tension was building inside of me.

"What's your hunting range?" Laurent asked. Carlisle ignored what he was implying.

"The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

"Permanent?" he asked incredulously, rocking back on his heels. "How do you manage that?"

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably? It's a rather long story."

James and Victoria exchanged a look when Carlisle said "home," but Laurent kept his face calm.

"That's sounds very interesting, and welcome," he said, smiling. "We're been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while."

"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," Carlisle gently cautioned.

"Of course," Laurent nodded. "We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway."

He laughed and my upper lip twitched, wanting to bare my teeth at him. Another part of me, deep inside my mind, ached with jealousy. _How I missed being able to eat whatever I wanted. _No, wait. I did _not_ miss the pain and agony it put me through. _Though the taste was wonderful . . . _Alice was more important and amazing than that, though.

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us—Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep," he swiftly added.

Alice and I made eye contact.

_Be safe._

_You know I will._

_These vampires pose a threat._

_Not anything I can't handle._

A breeze blew over us just then, and Bella's scent burned my nostrils. I refused to breathe before noticing the alpha crouching toward Bella. Edward's snarl echoed off the forest trees.

"What's this?" Laurent gasped. James slipped to the side and Edward moved with him, both still crouching. My muscles tensed instinctively, picking up on their vibe.

"She's with us," Carlisle firmly stated.

Laurent finally caught scent of Bella and realization dawned on his face.

"You brought a snack?" he asked and Edward snarled once more. Laurent took a step back.

"I said she's with us," Carlisle said, each word stronger than the last.

"But she's _human," _Laurent exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes," Emmett said, his eyes never leaving James.

"It appears we have a lot to learn about each other," Laurent kept his voice level, wanting to bring the atmosphere back to the peace it had once been. I tried to do my part in it, but I was too tense to send off calming vibes.

"Indeed," Carlisle said evenly.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation. And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hint in your range, as I promised."

"We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" I glanced at Alice who waved halfheartedly, smiling faintly.

_Goodbye . . ._

We lined up next to each other, concealing Bella from view. Alice, Emmett, Edward, and Bella quickly walked away from us. The air kept its tension, with Carlisle and Laurent being the only ones talking.

"We live not far from here, but deep enough in the forest so no human could really stumble across our house," Carlisle explained as James and Victoria ran out of the clearing. Laurent glanced nervously at the duo before listening to Carlisle.

Rosalie and I exchanged glances before nodding and running out of the clearing just as Carlisle and Esme started to lead Laurent to our house.

"Which way did they go?" I questioned as we ran, searching to find the two suspicious vampires.

"Um . . ." Rosalie sniffed the air. "This way."

I kept pace with her as we followed their trail, hoping to catch them and find out what they were up to.

"Ugh," I groaned as their trail suddenly disappeared.

"Well, now what?" Rosalie questioned and I looked around.

"The trees," I said and we started climbing up the tall redwoods.

Their scent reappeared and I grinned triumphantly. We hopped from treetop to treetop before coming to a halt when their scent vanished once more.

"Now why would they try so hard to conceal their scent if their simple task was innocent?" Rosalie mused as we hopped down onto the ground. We groaned in unison when their scent never came to our noses.

"We've lost them," I sighed. Rosalie scowled, folding her arms across her chest. "Shall we head back home?"

"Sure, but if you tell _anyone_ that I helped in this situation, you can kiss Alice goodbye," she sneered. I smiled slightly, knowing that she was joking . . . I think.

"Of course," I said and we ran back to our house, just in time to see Emmett, Edward, Alice, and Bella pull up.

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**A/N: Hope it's not bad! I don't really know how baseball works and I had to go solely off Stephenie's descriptions. Can you please review? I'd really like to know if my story's good enough.**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)  
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	9. Chapter 9: Arizona

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to get these chapters up, but I'm incredibly busy! This hasn't been edited yet, but I will update with the edited version on Saturday. So just sit tight and please ignore how ugly my writing is. :P**

**Edit: Got the edited chapter up. Thank you lipstickletter for beta-ing!  
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**_Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to say it, I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and anything in here you recognize is not mine._**

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Chapter Nine: Arizona**

Rosalie and I flew into the house though the back door. Seconds after we arrived, Edward, Emmett, Bella, and Alice burst into the room. Anger and fear filled the area.

Edward was furious. "He's tracking us."

"I was afraid of that," Laurent said unhappily.

Alice ran to my side and I leaned down to hear what she had to say.

"James is after Bella and we're going to protect her by driving her to Phoenix while the others lead him away from us," she whispered at vampire speed. "We need to pack."

We both ran up the stairs and into our room. No words were spoken as we packed anything that would be needed on this trip. We were finished in two minutes flat. I took Alice in my arms, loving the way she seemed to fit perfectly against my chest. Silence filled the air and we just stayed like that, knowing how much danger we were in.

"I won't lose you," I murmured into her soft hair. "I would never allow that to happen. Not ever."

"I know," Alice sighed. "I'll protect you, too. I'm so sorry I let this slide. I should have-"

"Hush," I soothed, pulling her away and kneeling down so I was look up at her beautiful face. "No one blames you for this. I'll protect you and Bella while the rest kill off the tracker. It'll be simple, especially with the lessons I've been giving Emmett. Everything will be fine."

Alice bit her lip, not fully believing me. I put both my hands on either side of her face.

"I love you," I said earnestly. Even though they were only three simple words, we both knew they meant so much more to us. We hardly ever said them, for we already knew how in love. But, in situations like these, we would always express our passion to each other.

"I love you, too," Alice whispered, stroking my hair lovingly.

My eyes stung with tears that would never come tried to form. I blinked hard at the stinging, overcome with emotion. Alice gasped as I let the feeling sweep around the room.

"Oh, Jasper," she said before kissing my passionately. Our mouths moved against each other in a familiar pattern. Too soon, we broke apart. Alice kept her forehead pressed against mine as I continued planting kisses on her.

"We have to go," Alice whispered and I nodded, giving her one last kiss before heading downstairs.

Carlisle was grabbing the emergency cell phones we'd had made for specific situations like this. Alice and Esme flew to where we were, carrying Bella. Carlisle started passing out cell phones to everyone, describing how our plan would work out.

"Esme and Rosalie will be taking you truck, Bella," Carlisle said as he passed Bella. Rosalie glowered at him and I shuddered away from her emotion subconsciously.

"Alice, Jasper—take the Mercedes," he continued. "You'll need the dark tint in the south."

We both nodded.

"We're taking the Jeep. Alice, will they take the bait?"

Alice closed her eyes and become completely still. After ten seconds, she opened them again.

"He'll track you," she explained. "The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that."

"Let's go." Carlisle walked toward the kitchen as Edward pulled Bella into a kiss. It only lasted a second, but there was so much to it. Edward turned away, looking dead as he ran out of the house.

Alice and I looked at each other as Bella silently cried. We both were thinking the same thing: we had to protect them both. Otherwise, it would be like us loosing each other.

The silence was deafening, and it never seemed to end. Esme's phone vibrated finally and she put it up to her ear.

"Now," she announced before she and Rosalie left. Unlike Rosalie, who had stalked out of the room, Esme caressed Bella's cheek and told her to be safe.

The truck outside roared thunderously to life, and they were off.

There was another pregnant pause as we waited for our cue. Alice's hand flashed to her ear a second before the phone buzzed and she pressed send instantly.

"Edward says the woman is on Esme's trail. I'll get the car." Alice ran out of the room in one second.

Bella and I stared at each other awkwardly. I was standing as faraway as I could, wanting to still be careful. Even though the situation had me not thirsty, I still had to be cautious. Bella's guilt overwhelmed me, making me feel worthless as well. I had to cheer her up.

"You're wrong, you know," I said quietly.

"What?" she asked, bewildered.

"I can feel what you're feeling now—and you _are_ worth it," I explained.

"I'm not," Bella mumbled. "If anything happens to them, it will be for nothing."

"You're wrong," I smiled kindly, assuring her of her importance.

Alice ran into the room again, letting me feel all her pride. Apparently she had heard our conversation. I ducked my head, not wanting attention for talking to Bella. Yet, I still smiled.

"May I?" Alice asked Bella, arms held out.

"You're the first one to ask permission," Bella joked halfheartedly.

Alice lifted her into her arms easily and we ran out to the car.

The ride didn't seem hard whatsoever, but I nearly died in that driver's seat. Not only did I have to sit in a car for a few hours with a _human_ but also I had to feel all of her pain as she cried into Alice's cotton shirt. I knew that I shouldn't use my power on her. Not only because Edward had prohibited me from doing so—unless I desperately needed to—but because once my effect wore off, Bella would still need to cry after that and I'd still suffer. Eventually, she had fallen asleep in California, and Alice and I were left with some peace and quiet for a bit.

We didn't talk really, because we weren't sure how deep of a sleeper Bella was. Our whole conversation was basically Alice asking me if I was holding up, and me confessing that it was a _bit_ hard for me. She quickly apologized and told me how proud she was, before Bella started talking. We weren't fully sure whether we had woken Bella or not, but she seemed to be asleep when we both quieted down. The rest of the drive was spent in silence.

We were in Arizona at the moment, Phoenix to be exact. Bella was awake now, both mildly confused and somewhat depressed. She was just gazing at the scenery that was around us. I figured she was emotionally stable, and decided I was able to talk to her.

"Which way to the airport, Bella?" I asked quietly, seeing her flinch in the rear view mirror. I built up some serenity, ready to release it into the car, but she seemed fine.

"Stay on the I-ten," Bella said. "We'll pass right by it."

I sped up a bit, now going at least three times as fast as the written speed limit.

"Are we flying somewhere?" Bella asked.

"No," Alice answered, "but it's better to be close, just in case."

We started to loop around Sky Harbor International, and Bella seemed to lull back to sleep. Finding a hotel wasn't very hard, especially when you were traveling with your psychic wife. She told me immediately where to go and we checked into a new room.

I focused on the television, making sure I heard everything and put it to memory. This was getting harder for me, avoiding Bella's scent. Alice was in her room right now, talking to Bella. We had ordered Bella some food, because Edward had instructed us to do so. Humans needed food more frequently than vampires needed blood, but sometimes when you were away from all the high school kids, you could forget. Edward didn't want us to starve Bella, though I doubt that'd happen.

I heard the girls get up and start to move toward the door and I held my breath, ready for the scent. My eyes didn't even flicker from the TV as they entered. Bella's heartbeat thundered throughout the room and I tensed, ready to spring at her. She stumbled to the food and ate a few measly bites, not seeming interested at all in it. Soon enough, she pushed her food away.

"What's wrong, Alice?" Bella asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Alice lied.

"What do we do now?"

"We wait for Carlisle to call."

"And should he have called by now?" Alice didn't answer, her guilt rising. "What does that mean? That he hasn't called yet?" Bella's voice was wavering, and her emotions were starting to get dangerously upset.

"It just means that they don't have anything to tell us," Alice assured her. Bella didn't believe her at all, and started to panic. Fear filled the room and I decided it was best to step in at this point. I flitted to Alice's side.

"Bella," I soothed. Talking normally worked best with my power, though I usually needed to just spread it silently for the recipients of the emotions would not be happy if they knew I was manipulating their feelings. "You have nothing to worry about. You are completely safe here."

"I know that," she stated.

"Then why are you frightened?" I asked, confused at her thoughts and emotions.

"You heard what Laurent said," she whispered. "He said James was lethal. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? If something happens to any of them, Carlisle, Emmett . . . Edward . . . If that wild female hurts Esme . . ." Her voice was rising, hysteria creeping in with each word. "How could I live with myself when it's my fault? None of you should be risking your lives for me-"

"Bella, Bella, stop," I interrupted, worried I would break down at her emotions if I didn't comfort her soon enough. "You're worrying about all the wrong things, Bella. Trust me on this—none of us are in jeopardy. You are under too much strain as it is; don't add to it with wholly unnecessary worries." Her eyes ventured away from mine. "Listen to me! Our family is strong. Our only fear is loosing you."

"But why should you-"

Alice cut in this time, and brushed her fingers against Bella's cheek. "It's been almost a century that Edward's been alone. Now he's found you. You can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with him for so long. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?"

I silently spread calm to Bella as she looked into Alice's eyes, knowing that talking wouldn't work on her, just like everyone else. Maybe she should be a Cullen after all.

The day passed on with no event whatsoever and Bella eventually strayed from the room we had been sitting in for hours. Alice followed her into her bedroom and they began talking. I didn't listen too closely to the conversation as I read the only book in the hotel for the eighth time today. Soon, silence filled the air.

"Something's changed." Alice's horror filled the air and I leaped to my feet the same time she got off the bed. We both ran to the door, meeting each other at the same time. My wife's eyes were distant, and terrorized at whatever she was seeing. I gently put my hands on her shoulders and sat her on the bed, worried that she would topple over if she focused too much. Though that was highly unlikely, I still had to take extra precautions.

"What do you see?" I questioned intently, trying to stare through the fog that seemed to be covering her topaz eyes.

"I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere." She continued looking into the future. "The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold . . . a gold stripe across the mirrors."

"Where is the room?" I asked.

"I don't know. Something is missing—another decision hasn't been made yet."

"How much time?" I didn't think too much about the questions I interrogated her with, because I had used them so many times before.

"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now."

"What is he doing?"

"He's watching TV . . . no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place."

"Can you see where he is?"

"No, it's too dark."

"And the mirror room, what else is there?"

"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits." Alice's eye finally came back to the present, and focused on my face.

"There's nothing else?" I asked and she shook her head. What was he doing there? What were his plans? And why hadn't she seen anything else? Neither of us knew the answer.

"What does it mean?" Bella asked, fearful.

_Should we tell her the truth? _I questioned with my eyes.

_No,_ Alice's emotions told me so.

I quickly turned to Bella, trying my best to appear calm.

"It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room." I explained.

"But we don't know where those rooms are?" Bella asked.

"No."

"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them." Alice chimed in.

"Should we call?" Bella asked.

Alice and I looked at each other again. Should we let them know so we could figure out another plan? Or would calling disrupt their path? Before we could make a decision, the phone rang. Alice flew over to it and pushed a button, answering the call.

"Carlisle," she breathed. "Yes . . . I just saw him." Alice quickly described exactly what she had seen in the vision. "Whatever made him get on that plane . . . it was leading him to those rooms . . . Yes," Alice paused and turned to Bella. "Bella?"

She held the phone out, and Bella stumbled to it.

"Hello?" Bella answered the phone. Alice quickly ran to my side and I ducked my head, ready to hear the rest of the story.

"They lost him," she explained at vampire-speed. "He stayed far enough to make sure Edward couldn't read his thoughts and now they believe he got on a plane. The mirror room and the dark room have to be somewhere outside of Vancouver, and I highly doubt it's Washington. I would've recognized it then. And the female, she's been all around town. Rosalie and Esme have found her scent practically everywhere while they are watching over Chief Swan. Edward, Carlisle, and Emmett are heading back to Forks, and have alerted Esme and Rosalie."

"How can you be so sure that the mirror room and dark room aren't in Washington?" I questioned, dubious. "I've seen more of the state than you have; you might not recognize it. Can you draw the rooms for me?"

We flew to the table and Alice started sketching on the hotel stationary. Bella soon hung up the phone and wandered over to where we were, feeling depressed. So far, the room didn't spark any memory of mine at all.

"It's a ballet studio," Bella exclaimed and we both looked at her. How could she possibly recognize this room?

"Do you know this room?" I questioned, struggling to keep my voice calm as Alice sketched even faster.

"It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons—when I was eight or nine. It was shaped just the same." Bella explained and touched the page where the square room jutted out into the narrowing part of the back. "That's where the bathrooms were—the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here"-Bella pointed to the left corner- "it was older, and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room—you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it."

Alice and I stared at each other, fear emanating from both of us. How on _Earth_ could she know this room? And what exactly did that mean if she did?

"Are you sure it's the same room?" I asked, successfully keeping my voice steady.

"No, not at all—I suppose most dance studios would look the same—the mirrors, the bar." Bella absentmindedly traced the picture. "It's just the shape that looked familiar."

"Would you have any reason to go there now?" Alice asked.

"No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dancer—they always put me in the back for recitals." Bella blushed lightly at the statement, but I didn't even notice my thirst. This was too dangerous and too shocking of a situation so bloodlust was the last thing on my mind.

"So there's no way it could be connected with you?" Alice asked intently. I stared at Bella as well. We needed exact answers, otherwise things could end terribly.

"No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere."

"Where was the studio you went to?" I asked, the only one in this room really keeping my voice casual.

"It was just around the corner from my mom's house. I used to walk there after school . . ." Bella trailed off and Alice and I exchanged a look. This wasn't good. It wasn't good _at all._

"Here in Phoenix, then?" I questioned.

"Yes," Bella whispered. "Fifty-eight Street and Cactus."

No one talked then, and we all studied the drawing more thoroughly.

"Alice, is the phone safe?" Bella asked after a while.

"Yes," Alice nodded. "The number would just trace back to Washington."

"Then I can use it to call my mom."

"I thought she was in Florida."

"She is—but she's coming home soon, and she can't come back to that house while . . ." Bella's voice trembled and she stopped talking.

"How will you reach her?" Alice asked, her sympathy rising.

"They don't have a permanent number except at the house—she's supposed to check her messages regularly."

"Jasper?"

I thought about it. It didn't seem harmful, seeing as the number would trace back to Washington. Though, James could hear it if he broke into Bella's old house. She'd just have to be careful about what she would say.

"I don't think there's any way it could hurt—be sure you don't say where you are, of course."

Bella grabbed the phone instantly and dialed the number. She started to leave a message and I politely ignored her, studying Alice's drawing of the dark room. Bella was soon finished with her message and sat around the room, nibbling occasionally on fruit. I was amazed at her calm mask that she held, for her emotions were insanely terrorized and depressed.

I decided to gently lull Bella to sleep with emotions. When Alice noticed Bella was unconscious, she picked her up and carried her off to bed

My love returned quickly and sat on the couch next to me kissing my nose.

"I'm so proud of you," she murmured and rested her head on my shoulder. I entangled my fingers with hers and kiss the top of her head, enjoying the peace she brought back into the room.

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**A/N: Hit or miss? Please review!**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Hoodwinked

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, SORRY! I've been sick, had the holidays get in my way, and finished my NaNoWriMo novel. Now that I'm editing, I'll be able to update more frequently. I promise you that I will NOT give up on this story! I was raised so that I wouldn't back down on the things I've started, and this isn't an acception. This hasn't been edited yet, because I wanted to update this ASAP, but I will post it again once its been updated. Please forgive me!**

Edit: Here is the edited version. Thank you so much to my amazing beta, lipstickletter!**  
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**_Disclaimer: Anything you recognize in here is not mine. I own nothing._  
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**Chapter 10: Hoodwinked**

Alice gasped, breaking the silence as another vision appeared before her eyes.

"What is it, Alice?" I questioned, grabbing the hotel stationary. "Is it the dark room? The mirror room?"

Alice shook her head.

"It _is_ the dark room," she murmured. "But, the room's no longer dark. And I see another room, it is a cozier one . . . the tracker isn't in this room, but I might be seeing things from his perspective."

"And the mirror room. Is he in there?" I asked.

Alice continued to drink up the images that only she could see floating in front of her eyes. I gently gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Alice, is the tracker there?" I questioned again, letting my voice go a little louder, but no so much that Bella would wake up.

"Y-yes," she nodded. "He's there with the VCR again."

Without warning, her eyes drifted from the their foggy state and Alice blinked, looking at me in horror.

"Draw them for me." Her hands flew to the paper without any hesitation and began sketching the outline of the room rapidly.

Bella ambled sleepily into the room and next to me, looking over my shoulder at the drawing.

"Did she see something more?" she whispered.

"Yes," I answered. "Something's brought him back to the room with the VCR, but it's light now."

Alice wasn't sketching the room I was talking about, though. Instead, she was drawing one that looked a little more homely than expected.

"The phone goes there," Bella whispered, pointing to a spot on the picture. We both stared at her. How could she recognize this room as well?

"That's my mother's house."

Alice was up of the couch in an instant, calling to alert the rest of the family. I gently scooted over to Bella and put my hand on her shoulder, shuddering lightly as I felt her pulse under my fingers. I kept my calm flowing full speed as we waited for Alice to finish talking on the phone.

"Bella," Alice said."Bella, Edward is coming to get you. He and Emmett and Carlisle are going to take you somewhere, to hide you for a while."

"Edward is coming?" Bella gasped, her hope rising.

"Yes, he's catching the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet him at the airport, and you'll leave with him."

"But, my mother . . ." Bella's tone was dangerously on the verge of tears and I tried to force more calm to her. "He came for my mother, Alice!"

"Jasper and I will stay until she's safe." I bit my lip at her statement, not sure how long I'd be able to hold up with staying with humans for so long.

"I can't win, Alice. You can't guard everyone I know. Don't you see what he's doing? He's not tracking me at all. He'll find someone, he'll hurt someone I love . . . Alice I can't-"

"We'll catch him, Bella," Alice assured her.

"And what if you get hurt, Alice? Do you think that's okay with me? Do you think it's only my human family he can hurt me with?"

Alice looked at me, her eyes begging me to put a stop to this conversation. I nodded lightly.

_Bedtime for Bella,_ I thought wryly as I forced lethargy upon the human. Bella's eyes slowly drooped before they snapped open, furious. She pushed herself away from me.

"I don't want to go to sleep," she snapped and walked to her room, slamming the door.

Alice sighed and crumpled into a heap next to me.

"What are we going to do?" she sobbed dryly into my shirt. I gently rubbed her back.

"Anything we can to keep her safe," I murmured, lifting her face up so her eyes met mine. I kissed her lips tenderly and pressed my forehead to hers. "Everything will work out fine and we'll all survive this."

She gave me a halfhearted smile before resting her head on my shoulder, continuing to sob tearlessly.

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I drummed my fingers on the desk as I waited impatiently for the stupid human to check us out of the room. I had been here for fifteen minutes, and he hadn't been able to figure out how to do it.

"Listen, sir," I murmured, my voice light. That made me sound deadlier. "I am in a bit of a rush so if you would please just check me _out_ of the room, we'll all be happier."

The man gulped and pounded harder on the keyboard. I groaned inwardly as he seemed to be struggling again. I hated being so far away from Alice, especially in a situation as delicate as this. My fingers started to drum again on the desk. I wasn't a very patient person when my family was in danger.

"May I please speak to the manager," I hissed to the man.

"Lookie here!" he squeaked. "You're all checked out. I hope you enjoyed your stay!"

I sighed, relieved, before walking as fast as a human pace would allow me to go to our hotel room. I slid the key in quickly and opened the door to see a terrifying sight. Alice was having another vision, a horrible one by the expression on her face.

"Alice!" my voice whipped and I ran as fast as I could to her side, taking her hands in mine and forcing them to let go of the table. The door shut with a low click.

"What is it?" I demanded and Alice turned around, her face buried into my chest.

"Bella," she said, agonized.

"I'm right here," Bella replied, not understanding that Alice was answering my question.

Alice turned back around to face Bella.

"What did you see?" Bella's voice was flat, and didn't even sound like a question. I looked at her sharply. It was almost as if she knew what Alice had seen.

"Nothing, really," Alice lied, recovering. "Just the same room as before. Did you want breakfast?"

"No, I'll eat at the airport." It was almost as if they had rehearsed the whole thing. They were both trying to appear calm on the outside, but their emotions were hectic on the inside. Bella walked back into her room and Alice started to panic. Her words were so rushed that I couldn't make out anything she said.

"Alice, Alice, slow down," I said.

"We're going to fail!" she wailed quietly, and buried her face into my chest again. I blinked, my jaw falling open.

"What did you see?" I questioned.

"She's going to be in the room with the tracker, Jasper!" Alice exclaimed, looking up at me. I didn't need my power to see how anguished she was.

"But how could that possibly happen?"

"I don't know. She would never just go to the tracker on her own, right? He must get to her somehow."

Alice sighed and rested her head against my shoulder, sobbing dryly. I gently rubbed her back.

"Well, the future can always change," I assured her. "And we'll just have to watch Bella closer than before. We _won't_ fail."

"Right," Alice nodded, forcing a smile. "We'll just have to be more careful and everything will be okay."

Alice leaped off me and started tidying things up before Bella stumbled out of her room. We quickly got into the car and headed to the airport. Bella sat alone in the back this time, with Alice sneakily passing her glances when she thought Bella wasn't looking.

"Alice?" Bella asked monotonously from the back.

"Yes?" Alice replied warily.

"How does it work? The things that you see? Edward said it wasn't definite . . . that things change?" Bella's emotions started plummeting down to hysteria when she mentioned Edward's name and I quickly passed serenity around the room.

"Yes, things change . . . ," Alice murmured hopefully. "Some things are more certain than others . . . like the weather. People are harder. I only see the course they're on while they're on it. Once they change their minds—make a new decision, no matter how small—the whole future shifts."

"So you couldn't see James in Phoenix until he decided to come here."

"Yes."

We got to the airport and waited on level three, where the passengers unloaded. Alice and I spent a long time studying the departing flights board, deciding which city we could go to. To hide Bella from the tracker.

Bella seemed nervous, completely panicked. Every move she made, Alice and I glanced at her, making sure she wouldn't try to make a run for it. Or whatever she had planned to do. Bella pulled out an envelope out of her bag and placed it on top of Alice's black bag.

"My letter," Bella explained to Alice, who nodded.

We continued sitting in silence after that, with Alice occasionally offering to buy Bella breakfast. Each time Bell refused. The minutes passed slowly, as Alice and I both anxiously waited for Edward's flight to land. When he arrived, there would be no way for Bella to escape or the tracker to get to her.

Five minutes until Edward's plane landed, Bella announced that she wanted breakfast.

"I'll come with you." Alice stood.

"Do you mind if Jasper comes instead?" Bella asked and my jaw dropped. Why on Earth would she choose _me_ over _Alice?_ "I'm feeling a little . . ."

Ah, that's why. I stood up, looking at Alice to make sure this was okay. She seemed fine by it.

I led Bella, pushing her lightly by the small of her back, to the various food stations the airport had. I swallowed the venom that had formed in my mouth. Her pulse was all but beating against my fingers, inviting me to just grab her and drain her. Everyone would at first think that I was kissing her, and I'd be done before they realized what I really did.

No, I had to protect Bella from the tracker, and killing her would only do him a favor. Or anger him. And, if so, I'd be putting Alice in danger.

Bella wasn't interested in any of the airport restaurants that we looked at. We continued walking in search of more food for her, when Bella stopped in front of the bathroom.

"Do you mind?" she asked sheepishly. "I'll just be a moment."

As much as I wanted to go with her and assure her safety, I couldn't.

_What's one trip to the bathroom? _I thought. _Even if something happened to her in there, surely there were many women who could help her._

"I'll be right here," I said and she walked off.

I rolled my head back onto my shoulders as I waited for Bella to finish doing her business. My throat was killing me now, and I tried to stretch my neck as much as I could, hoping to stop the itchiness and burning sensations.

I sighed, knowing that there was no way I could stop my thirst except for hunting, and there weren't very many places in Arizona to do that. But Edward would be here soon, and we'd all get to hunt.

What a relief that would be! Even if it was still a disgusting animal to drink, it would relieve this horrible ache and desire. My imagination got away with me, thinking about hunting. It was making me even thirstier, and all these humans, hustling and bustling around me were seeming might tasty.

I clenched my hands into fists and focused hard on the bathroom door. Shouldn't Bella be done by now? I'd seen three other ladies walk in and leave while she was still there.

"Alice," I said in a normal speaking voice, knowing she'd hear me. I glanced to my left and saw Alice walking hastily up to me, a worried expression on her face.

"Yes?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Bella's been taking a while in the bathroom, can you go check if she's there?" I kept my voice calm, and sent serenity around me to not make my wife worry. Surely Bella was fine. We wouldn't fail this close to having Edward arrive.

Alice quickly danced into the bathroom, coming out thirty seconds later, her eyes wide.

"Jasper, there's another exit to this restroom, and Bella's nowhere to be found," she said and my heart sunk. I had lost Bella. I had singlehandedly failed our mission to keep Bella safe. Why was _I_ always the one to ruin things? Why did it always have to be _me?_

I felt like breaking down right then.

"Jasper, it's okay," Alice said, sensing my mood. She grabbed onto my forearm, stepping closer to me and trying to comfort me. The lump in my throat prevented me from speaking.

I shook my head. Nothing was okay right now. Nothing.

"We just have to search for her," Alice said. "Come on, we have two minutes until Edward gets off. Plenty of time."

Alice went back into the restroom to go through the other exit, and I walked around, my eyes frantically scanning the crowd. There was no time to feel sorry for myself. I had to find Bella, and bring her back to safety.

"Jasper, I had no luck," Alice called out, trying as hard as she could to not sound worried. But her emotions revealed it, and I felt worse. She came up to me, walking at a brisk human pace.

Alice's dark eyes met mine, trying to assure me that all was well, and we'd be able to find Bella when Edward got here. But I knew that was a lost cause. I'd lost Bella. I'd failed our mission. I'd ruined it for everyone.

We waited the last thirty seconds for Edward, Carlisle, and Emmett to get off the plane. Edward immediately walked over to us, his eyes wide and angry. I blinked hard, my eyes stinging with guilty tears that would never be released.

_Be a man,_ Whitlock demanded deep inside of me. I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and prepared to face my punishment like a man.

"You lost her?" Edward nearly shouted. "You _lost_ her? How could you lose her?"

"Edward, Edward, calm down," Emmett said, putting his hand on Edward's shoulder. Emmett looked from me to Alice and back again, confused.

"Edward, please!" Alice said, getting impatient. "If you won't listen to the truth in my mind, at least listen to my voice. Bella tricked us, okay? She claimed she needed to go to the bathroom when she was with Jasper, knowing he couldn't come in with her. She escaped there."

"You trusted her with _him?"_ Edward exclaimed. I tried not to let that sting too much. Edward was a very nice gentleman, but when he was tempered, he would say some pretty hurtful things.

"Ed-" Alice started, glaring at him, but I interrupted.

"Yes, and it was a big mistake," I said calmly. "It will never happen again."

Edward's eyes flashed to meet mine, and I thought about how Arizona used to be back in the 1800's when it was full of war-crazed, bloodthirsty vampires that were fighting for dominance over areas. Peter and I had been around this area one time, and we had found Charlotte. She was promising, and we knew that Maria would be happy if we found a new recruit, so we quickly took her down a dark alley. Peter and I had . . . we'd had difficulty stopping, but Peter was able to stop and force me to do the same. He had to hold me down while Charlotte was changing so I wouldn't suck her dry.

I was free to think my own pained thoughts again, knowing Edward was busy reading Alice's visions.

"We need to find her," Carlisle said, glancing warily between Edward and Alice, who were still silently talking to each other.

"Yes," I nodded. "We do. Alice,"-Alice's head turned away from looking at Edward and focused on me- "Where is she headed?"

Alice closed her eyes for a moment before snapping open.

"She's going to . . . that dark room with the tracker," she whimpered.

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**A/N: Ooh, a cliffy! The next chapter should be up sometime this week, hopefully sooner than later. Again, I apologize for the wait. Bella tricking Jasper was always my favorite part in Twilight, and I was sad that it never made it into the movie. Hopefully I did this justice! Please review, I'd really love feedback on my writing.**

**~Eclipse-Vamp :)  
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	11. Epilogue

**A/N: The original plan for this story was to have it go through Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, _and_ Breaking Dawn, but I have found that to be too great of a feat for me to accomplish when I'm also working on my own novel. I really would like to be a real author, and get paid for writing (and noticed on bookshelves for once), and if I continue writing this, I won't be able to put my all into this story. You guys don't deserve junk for writing, and I can never leave a story unfinished, so I've deleted the New Moon chapters, and put this in place of it, because that way it will be a completed story, and not a disappointing in-progress one. Thank you so much for all the fantastic reviews and love. It has meant the world to me, and has made me become a better author all around. I owe it all to my beta lipstickletter and to all you dear readers out there for showing me that I _can_ write. Hopefully when I'm not too busy I will come back eventually, but for now, farewell. I hope you all follow your dreams, seeing as I'm following mine (woot woot for cheesy lines!) and find other stories to read. Thanks once more, and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing this.  
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Edit: This is now beta'd by my amazing beta, lipstickletter! Thanks, girl!**  
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**_Disclaimer: I'm not a real author yet, so this is just fanfiction, and I own nothing._**

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Chapter Eleven: Bloodlust and Prom**

"The . . . the _tracker_ has her?" Edward hissed out, feeling furious, horrified, and scared all at the same time.

"We have to go help her," I said, my stomach still twisting in knots. Would I actually be able to revive myself from my giant mistake if Bella was with a sadistic, unruly vampire who was out to kill her? I could only hope.

"Yes," Alice whimpered. "Quickly, maybe we could interfere—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Edward was off, walking _too_ fast for any human. No one seemed to care of the exposure; we just needed to get to Bella.

Alice laced her fingers with mine, pulling me back behind everyone else.

"Jasper, this was an innocent mistake," she tried to reassure me, but I couldn't believe her. "Please, listen to me!"

"Alice," I sighed. "Mistake or not, Bella could . . . Bella, well, might . . . she might _die_ because of me. And that's not all right. No matter what happens or what you say, this is _still my fault_ and I'm not going to believe otherwise."

Alice huffed, looking angry and upset at the same time.

"Jazz, please just-" she started, but I cut her off.

"Come on, we must be going to try and fix my misdoing," I said, holding my hand out for her. She reluctantly took it and we ran off as fast as our human pace could through the rest of the airport to try to find Edward and the others.

We found our way to the room using Alice's premonitions to guide us. The way Bella was heading, we were heading. But of course we couldn't get there just in time.

"No, no, no!" Alice exclaimed, her eyes staring blankly up at the car ceiling. "No, Bella, oh God."

"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle hissed. He was even distressed at this point, which made us all realize how horrible of a situation this really was.

Alice blinked, her black eyes joining us once more.

"The tracker . . . he's gotten to her . . . or he _will_ get to her in about thirteen seconds," she said, all her panic filling the car. I tried to spread soothing emotions around the car, but even I was too on-edge to do that.

The car dramatically sped up as Edward sent us flying around a corner.

"He's tricked her," Alice murmured. "She thought her mother was there. . . ."

"And is Bella's mom there?" I asked and Alice looked confused.

"I'm not sure . . . he must have her hidden some place or . . . I don't know. I can _hear_ Bella's mother's voice, but I don't see her anywhere."

My brow furrowed, processing this as we sped along the suburban roads as fast as the car we stole could allow.

"Left!" Alice announced and Edward yanked the steering wheel to his side, nearly missing the turn we needed to take. "Here, here, here!"

We all immediately got out of the car and ran up to the ballet studio. I could smell the blood from the curb and stopped short.

"Jasper, we need to go!" Alice sighed, looking terrified at me.

"No," I shook my head. "There's too much-" Edward yanked the door open and the smell wafted to my nostrils.

My feet flew across the floor, following it.

_Hunt, eat, kill._

I was hungry, and that blood was far too tempting. Before I could reach the door, someone attacked me. I snarled and immediately threw that thing to the ground. This was my kill, and no one would stop me.

But, suddenly, my arms were pinned behind me as I continued to fight for my prey.

"Alice, go!" Carlisle exclaimed as he and Emmett wrestled against me. "Edward will need you. Emmett! Get the tracker. Jasper will help you when he can control himself."

I growled a few more times, struggling against the strong arms as the smell continued to tease me. But Carlisle was pulling me away from the drug-like smell, and my consciousness was slowly starting to come back.

I sighed, hanging my head in shame at what I had just done. I wasn't helping anyone whatsoever with losing control, especially in a situation as important as this.

Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder.

"You did good," he soothed. "You restrained yourself faster than ever before. You _are_ improving, Jasper. And we're all very proud of you."

Emmett burst through the door with a vicious tracker snapping at him.

"Jasper, help!" Emmett growled, struggling to hold the vampire. I nodded once to Carlisle and we both ran forward, him toward Bella and me toward the devil.

I snapped off his arm in a second before continuing, making the death a little more painful for extra measure. He deserved to feel what he had most likely done to so many.

When I had finished, Emmett fished a lighter out from his pocket and we set the pieces on fire before Edward and Carlisle came out, holding a bloody and unconscious Bella.

I held my breath, relieved that she had made it. Sure, Bella wasn't in the greatest shape, but she was _alive._ I hadn't managed to kill her.

"Where's Alice?" I asked, wasting my oxygen supply.

"She's in the room," Carlisle murmured softly. "You should join her, she's very upset."

Confused, I flew into the room to see Alice sitting on the floor and staring at the television.

"_A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments . . ."_ the tracker's voice sounded, slightly different coming from the speakers of the television set.

The words set in my brain, and I gasped.

"What does this mean, Alice?" I asked, running to her side and sitting down next to her. She looked up at me, horribly sad.

"I've forgotten everything . . . what _happened_ to me?" Alice whimpered, her bottom lip quivering.

"Alice, Alice," I murmured into her hair, taking my wife into my arms and rocking her soothingly. "We've discussed this before; it doesn't matter what you don't remember. In fact, it's probably for the better. The only thing I care about is that you're here with me, and will be forever."

"But you remember what it was like to be human!" Alice snapped, sobbing. "I don't have _any_ memory of who I was, or where I lived, or who my _family_ was."

"I know, honey, I know," I sighed, rubbing her leg. "What happened to you was totally unfair. We can always research more about you later on if you'd like."

Alice paused from her crying and looked up at me.

"Really?" she asked, starting to smile a bit.

"Yes," I nodded. We both stood up, and hand-in-hand made our way to the door.

* * *

"Alright, so she'd needs something to trip over, even though Bella is clumsy enough as it is," Alice started as we stood on the hotel's staircase.

We had been assigned to fabricate evidence of Bella's supposed fall—we had chosen a story to give the doctors at the hospital. According to our lie, Edward had come down to Phoenix with Carlisle and Alice to talk some sense into Bella for leaving. On her way to Edward's room, she tripped on the stairs and fell down, crashing through a window. And Alice was having _too_ much fun making the fall as believable as possible.

"Okay, so I'll pretend I'm Bella," Alice said, ripping up a piece of the commercial carpeting so it would be easy to trip on.

She started clumsily stomping her way down the stairs, catching the rip she'd made with the toe of her left foot. Alice fell to the floor too gracefully and agilely somersaulted her way down, making small areas where Bella probably would've hit if she had actually fallen.

"And for the grand finale," Alice announced, standing up and diving lithely through the window. I chuckled, watching her land in the bushes below and poke her head up to look at me. "Does it look believable?"

"Bella couldn't have even done a better job," I reassured her, still shaking with my laughs as she hopped back into the hotel.

* * *

Bella slowly recovered and soon made her way back to Forks, able to walk around in a bulky cast just in time for prom. The strangest thing I found was that she honestly had no clue what was going on when Alice started torturing her and dressing her up. No one was allowed to tell her—Edward had sworn us to secrecy—but anyone would've guessed what they were going to. . . . Well, aside from Bella, apparently.

I buttoned up my tuxedo jacket and quickly walked down the stairs, where Emmett was standing. We both smiled as our beautiful loves flitted gracefully down the stairs.

"How do I look?" Alice asked, grinning wide and twirling in front of me. She had a nice black dress with triangles exposing the skin of her snowy white tummy. The dress went perfect with her.

"You look absolutely perfect," I murmured, smirking slightly.

"And you are rather dashing yourself," Alice winked.

"Shall we?" I held my arm out, and she took it before we parted to the car.

At the dance, I was in agony, like always. There were so many hearts, pumping their sweet juices even faster than before due to the physical activity that dancing involved. Though I had hunted just hours before, I was _so thirsty._

Alice rubbed my arm sympathetically, snapping me out of my trance.

"Do you want to leave?" she asked, her worried golden eyes looking into mine.

"No," I shook my head. "I'll manage."

We slowly walked into the dance floor, used to everyone giving us a wide berth before staring with my arms. Alice didn't seem to mind, and quickly grabbed my hands. Swaying gently to the music, I felt everyone lose interest eventually.

Looking around, I quickly checked to see if anyone was watching before giving Alice a lightning-speed peck on the lips. She grinned at me and reached up to play with my blonde curls. Though Bella might have nearly caused havoc for our family, she was something I could handle. As long as I had Alice.

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**A/N: I'll still reply to reviews, even though I'm done writing, because I feel everyone needs a personal thank you for actually telling me that I write worth a darn. Bye guys. It's been fun.  
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**~Eclipse-Vamp :)**


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